Five Days
by DarkxHunter
Summary: Now that she's graduated, Ally expects smooth sailing. Unfortunately, a certain blonde that goes by the name of Austin ropes her in for a crazy plan not even five minutes after she's closed her locker. She expects it to be awful, but as it turns out, this is the first of many times she'll be wrong about Austin Moon.
1. The First Day (of Their Lives)

Five Days

Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally

Rating: T for cursing and suggestiveness

Genre: Humor/Romance

Miscellaneous: N/A

* * *

**...I have no words.**

* * *

The First Day (of Their Lives)

_"My mind forgets to remind me_

_You're a bad idea_

_You touch me once and it's really something_

_You find I'm even better than you imagined I would be_

_I'm on my guard for the rest of the world_

_But with you, I know it's no good_

_And I could wait patiently _

_But I really wish you would."_

_-"Sparks Fly" by Taylor Swift_

* * *

Ally finishes cleaning out her locker, a sad smile tugging on her lips. All around her, people are cheering, excited for the parties that are sure to be happening tonight. None of them seem the slightest bit sad about school ending.

Yes, high school has ended, meaning that they're all ready to go out in the real world (though, she isn't too sure about the students who aren't so bright; their parents should probably keep an eye on them).

She shuts her locker gently, giving it an affectionate pat. Despite being pranked all through high school, she'll miss it. A lot.

She walks to the double doors at the end of the hall that lead to the outside. Wistfully, she casts one last glance over her shoulder.

She turns back around and pushes through the doors, crossing the main plaza in the middle of the front yard, and she's about to start down one of the sidewalks leading out of campus when a voice calls, "Hey, Dawson!"

She bites back a groan and abruptly pivots to face the owner of the voice, keeping her face as neutral as possible.

Of course, she turns fearful as soon as she sees who it is.

The king of the school himself, Austin Moon, is making his way towards her, a scowl throwing off his usually calm, cool, and collected appearance.

When he reaches her, she blurts out the very first thing that enters her mind. "Did I forget to do your homework?"

Inwardly, she curses at herself. He hasn't been asking her to do his homework! Plus, school is over! Sometimes she wonders about that mouth of hers. She really, really does.

He scoffs. "No, I don't- Wait, you do homework?" He looks interested for a second before he reverts back to scowling, and she wonders if he's forgotten that school is over. "Never mind that! Look, I need to talk to you about something."

She stares at him, incredulously. They never speak to one another unless it involves a prank that was played on her or if he needs answers to a test.

She doesn't understand why he needs to talk to her or what it's about, but she has to listen, unless she wants to be egged while she's walking around. And, trust her when she says that being egged is _not_ fun.

"Wh-what about?" She asks, weakly.

He groans and runs a hand through his hair in frustration, looking like he wants to scream or something. "I told my parents a stupid lie," he mutters, crossly. "They kept trying to get me to date these nerdy goody-two shoes, and I got so sick and tired of it that I told them that you and I were dating. Because, you know, you were the first decent nerd that popped into my head."

He doesn't look at all ashamed; instead, he just looks annoyed. On the other hand, Ally's jaw is dropped in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief.

How can he do that? Ally knows he's popular, but still! How can he just say that and expect her to go along with it?

"They asked me a bunch of questions before saying that they wanted to meet you. Obviously, I couldn't say no," he points out with an eye roll. "So I need you to come meet my parents and clear up all this fake girlfriend nonsense before they start setting me up with nerds again."

Ally finally closes her mouth, cheeks flushed a deep scarlet color. "Why me?" She asks in a small voice. It seems appropriate since he's about a foot taller than her.

He gives an exaggerated sigh, rolling his eyes again. "I told you; you were the first nice nerd to come to mind. Plus, my parents seem to have their hearts set on someone nerdy."

Why do his parents want him to have a nerdy girlfriend? He's not even remotely nerdy, and he's so... so... popular!

She anxiously chews on her lip as her eyes flick from him to the sidewalk that leads away from this place. "I-I don't know... I mean, I know I'm supposed to follow your guys' orders lest I suffer the consequences, but this... is a little extreme."

Austin narrows his eyes at the clearly anxious girl. "I didn't sign up for this either, Dawson." She stifles a sigh, wondering if he even knows her first name. "It was a stupid lie, and now, I've gotta deal with the consequences. Unless you want there to be consequences for you too, you have to agree to go along with the plan."

Her shoulders sag with defeat as she reluctantly nods. "Fine. What's your plan?" She asks, lowly.

He grins. "Well, my parents want you to come over for dinner tonight. You up for that?" Of course, they both know that he's not really asking; she'll have to go either way.

"Yeah..." She sighs.

"Great." He looks her over, scowling again. "But you need to de-nerdify yourself first. Yeah, my parents want me to have a nerdy girlfriend, but I don't think that I could stand it if you looked like this the whole time. They're just going to have to piss off about your appearance, and by the way, you need to at least present yourself as nerd-ish. I didn't pick you for no reason."

She takes a step back, brows furrowing in complete and utter confusion at the first part of his rant. "De-what?"

He rolls his eyes, gesturing to her whole body. "You know, make yourself look less nerdy! Jeez, I thought that you were smart."

That strikes a nerve. "Hey, I am _very_ smart! I'm on the honor roll!"

He waves a hand dismissively, glossing over that fact. "Whatever. So, here's what you need to do." He steps toward her, invading her bubble of personal space, which makes her freeze.

He takes off her glasses, ordering, "No nerdy, thick-lensed, rectangular glasses."

"Hey, I can't see without those!" A squinting Ally cries, retrieving her glasses and putting them back on.

"Well, then, get contacts or something!" He snaps, irritably, looking her over again. "Don't leave your hair in that awful high ponytail, don't wear anything with flowers, and for the love of pancakes, can you please wear something _decent?_ I don't mean like pants or whatever; I mean that I really wish that you would stop wearing stuff that your grandma wore back when she was in high school."

(It vaguely occurs to her that he said 'for the love of pancakes,' but she's too busy going over his words to comment on that.)

Ally looks down at her brown knee-length floral print dress with horrified eyes. When she looks back up at him, Austin nods, putting a faux-sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "It's time," he says, gravely.

"Not making me feel better," she mumbles, dejection circulating through her. She didn't realize that her clothes were that awful.

"Meet me at the park near here at five. I need to make sure you look acceptable before we go to my house," he explains when she looks confused.

"Bring... How long have we been dating, supposedly?" She asks.

It's his turn to be confused. "Only a week... Why?"

"Well, couples normally take pictures," she elaborates, gesturing between them with her hands. "Since we're supposedly a couple, we need pictures to back it up. So bring... four extra sets of clothes. I know that it won't account for a whole week, but we'll just say that we don't always take pictures if anyone asks."

He raises an eyebrow. "So... You want me to dress up and take pictures... With you."

She blushes, ducking her head in embarrassment. "Am I really that bad?" She asks, softly, in a hurt voice.

He bites his lip, backing away from her. "No, I mean... Forget it. I'll be there."

She sighs, resignedly. "Yeah, I'll be there too." She adjusts the straps on her backpack, walking away. "See you then."

As she heads home, a question lingers on her mind.

_Now, what to wear?_

* * *

Ally slings her backpack over her shoulder as she leaves her house, starting for the park she's supposed to meet Austin at. She wishes that he hadn't mentioned her because she really doesn't want to be caught up in a lie. But she knows all too well what could happen if she doesn't go along with it, so she's going to. It doesn't matter that they've graduated; the populars still haven't lost their popular status and probably never will.

She'll regret this one day. She just knows that she will.

As she walks along the sidewalk, her mind drifts back in time to her days as the school's laughingstock.

_*Start of Flashback*_

_Ally, on her way to her next class, mutters a curse under her breath. Her class starts in-literally-a minute. _

_She's completely absorbed in her thoughts and curses and doesn't notice a group of teenagers sneaking up to her. The lead blonde, smirking, signals to his friends to fire._

_Ally feels something slimy land in her hair. Her eyes widen in horror as she realizes what's happening, and she whirls around just in time to have another weird thing hit her right in the face. Her eyes immediately snap shut, and so does her mouth as the substance slides down her face._

_"Oh, Dawson," an all too familiar voice sighs, mockingly, "didn't your mom ever tell you not to eat raw eggs?" _

_Ouch. Did he have to bring her up?_

_Casually, another person tosses an egg at her, and the eggs must be open already because she doesn't feel the shells scraping her skin like they should be. _

_She shakily reaches up and wipes the watery substance off of her face, feeling disgust well up inside of her. She hates the feeling of raw eggs; it's so slimy and could have salmonella in it. Don't they know that? _

_She opens her eyes, but her vision is blurred because the raw eggs have coated her glasses. Still, she knows who's standing there, but she doesn't dare speak to them for fear of the eggs getting into her mouth. _

_"Aw, aren't you going to talk to us?" A distinctly feminine voice coos. _

_"Oh, leave her, Cass," the first voice grunts. She can vaguely see that he's herding them away. "We've done enough..." He says, his voice fading as he goes further and further away._

_Feeling more egg slide down her face, she agrees._

_*End of Flashback*_

In case you were wondering, that was Austin and a cheerleader named Cassidy talking. And, also, no, she didn't make it to class on time; in fact, she had to talk to the teacher and make up an excuse (she can't get the golden kids in trouble, obviously) as to why she didn't make it to class. She didn't get in trouble, but her spirits were down for the rest of the day.

She shakes her head, dismissing the memory. The last thing she needs is to be stuck in the past with those times; it's time to move on.

The mile passes by quickly, and she arrives at the spacious park, watching the kids play soccer in one corner of the field. Other people are having picnics, and a few are just goofing off, doing what they please.

_Must be nice, _she thinks, wistfully, following one of the pathways in the large park.

"Dawson!" A voice shouts soon after, making her sigh with annoyance.

"Do you even know my real name, _Moon?"_ She asks, mockingly. He raises an eyebrow at her sudden spark of confidence.

She twirls around, an unamused look on her face. "Well?"

There's an awkward pause as the blonde nervously scratches the back of his neck. "...Ally?"

She claps her hands, slowly. "Ding, ding, ding. Look who figured out my name after an eternity."

He's surprised by her attitude. He thought that she was weak, going along with whatever people tell her to do. So what's this?

She shakes her head, sighing. "Sorry, it's just... I don't like lies."

Oh, look, there's the goody-two shoe side of her.

He dismisses it. "Whatever. Let's just do whatever, alright?" She makes a mental note of how he overuses the word 'whatever.'

"Yeah, okay. Come on," she says, leading him over to the bathrooms. She takes off her glasses and puts in her contacts (which she hardly wears because she almost always forgets to put them on), which earns her a few weird looks. She then goes into a handicap stall (to her extreme distaste, it's dirty) and quickly changes just in case a handicapped person needs to use the bathroom since this is the only one. She takes her hair out of her ponytail and swiftly drags her fingers through it, untangling it. Her curls are noticeable by now, so she leaves and is relieved to find that no one was waiting for her stall.

Before she exits the bathroom, she takes off her sandals and slips on her sneakers one by one so that her feet never touch the filthy floor, putting her sandals in a plastic bag which she then drops into her backpack.

As soon as she steps out, she starts looking around for Austin, and she finds him immediately. He's leaning against the building of the men's bathroom, wearing a white tank top under a black button-up, dark wash ripped jeans, and black combat boots.

She has to admit: he's easily the hottest, handsomest, and most attractive guy she's ever met. He's got it all: the blonde hair that's just the right shade and flops exactly the right way, the sparkling brown eyes, the nice tan, the noticeable but not disgustingly huge muscles, the charming smile... Everything. He has everything a guy could want and a girl loves, and dare she say that he might just be the closest thing to perfect? She blushes and clears away those thoughts as she approaches him, taking out her camera.

"Ready?" She asks, getting his attention. His eyes widen as he takes in her appearance, making her blush. "Is it that bad?" She wonders aloud, glancing down at her outfit.

She's wearing a grey vest over a black V-neck, stone grey skinny jeans, and darker grey sneakers. She didn't think that it was that bad...

"No, I mean," he begins, dazed, "you look... Different. Good different," he hastily tacks on.

She blinks, surprised at his (sort of) compliment. "Um... Thanks?"

He ducks his head. "Yeah, um... No problem. Should we just- you know..." He gestures to the camera awkwardly.

"Yeah," she quickly agrees. "Yeah." She looks around for something... Something legitimate and something that'll make them look like a real couple. Like... "Come on," she orders, bringing him over to a lone stretch of grass.

"Grass?" He asks, dryly. "What, are we gonna make grass angels or something?" He falls onto the grass, setting his backpack down next to him.

It's only when she's set down her backpack next to his and takes a seat next to him that she realizes just how awkward this will be. She never thought that taking romantic pictures with Austin Moon would be on her agenda.

"No," she snips, pushing their stuff to the side. Now how to go about this... "Okay, this is all going to be a really weird experience, but if you want this to work, you're going to have to go along with it. I don't like this as much as you," she sighs. "So, lie down. Right there." She points to the spot next to her, and he scoots over, lying down next to her.

Taking a deep breath, she turns on her camera and props herself on her elbows next to him, muttering, "Smile," through a fake grin.

He surveys their positions. He's lying on his stomach, elbows propped up and head lazily resting in his hands. She's also lying on her stomach in a similar position, except she isn't resting her head in her hands.

"Wouldn't it look better if we did this?" He asks with a devilish smirk, throwing an arm around her shoulders and pressing her right against his body. She blushes because of how close they are.

"...Uh, um... Okay," she says in a small voice. He snickers and grabs the camera, taking a picture. "Hey! I wasn't ready!" She whines, making a rather pathetic effort to retrieve her camera from the laughing blonde.

"Oh my God, your face is hilarious!" He laughs, showing her the picture. Her face is bright red, and she looks timid while Austin is just biting his lip, trying not to laugh.

"Austin!" She groans, hanging her head in shame. "You're horrible." It's something she's always wanted to say when he plays one of his pranks on her, but never has the courage to do it. Hearing it now, though, it doesn't even sound bitter; it just sounds like one of those things you say to a friend when they throw their stale piece of bread from lunch at you.

"No, I'm funny!" He counters, taking another picture. This is more fun than he thought it would be.

"Ugh, just let me take the picture," she mumbles, forcing a smile to her face and taking a picture. He's still grinning from the pictures he took so she doesn't need to cue him.

"Not the best, but it'll have to do," she sighs as she looks at the picture, figuring that it looks real enough. She pulls away from him and gets up, dusting herself off.

"What now?" He asks, and she glances down at him.

"We're going to Phil's Fun Town. Come on," she says, lifting her bag from the grass and walking away with Austin scrambling after her.

* * *

She's wearing a navy dress with a white flower above the hemline (Austin, surprisingly, didn't complain), a thick white belt, and white flats. He's wearing a blue plaid button-up, black jeans, and bright blue high-tops.

With a reluctant sigh, she slips into the photo booth, Austin sliding in after her. They put their backpacks at their feet, and she sets the machine to take one strip, which is five pictures.

"Who gets the fifth picture?" He wonders out loud, glancing over at the petite brunette.

Her finger stops, hovering over the button to start the booth. "You do," she replies, flatly, eyeing him in annoyance. "Can I start now?"

"Jeez, don't need to be so snarky," he mutters, watching her roll her eyes back over to the button and pressing it.

The countdown starts, and he realizes that he has no idea what to do. Fortunately (or unfortunately), Ally is so annoyed at him that she dismisses her previous reservations about taking romantic pictures with Austin because of the required close proximity and smiles at him, ruffling his hair, which makes him jerk back in irritation.

"Hey!" He exclaims, reaching for her and tickling her as payback. She erupts into a fit of giggles, trying to push him away.

"Austin!" She gasps, shoving his hands away and tackling him with a hug, restraining his arms. "Stop it!"

"Never!" He cries gleefully, breaking out of her hold and squeezing her tightly. She wheezes.

"Stop!" She coughs, sucking in a deep breath. He lets go, and she remembers why they came in here in the first place. She sees that they have only one more picture left, so she leans up and pecks him on the cheek. His eyes widen in shock as she pulls away, the session complete.

She picks up her backpack and pushes him a bit, snapping him out of his daze. "Hey, come on. We have to go get the strip." He blinks.

"Oh, right. Okay, let's go," he says, grabbing his bag and leaving the booth, Ally right on his heels.

The strip finishes developing in a few seconds and drops into the shelf-like structure sticking out of the booth. She takes it out and bursts out laughing at the odd pictures that were taken of them.

The first one is of him jerking back, eyes narrowed at her in irritation, with her hand still in his hair. The second one is of him tickling her with the biggest grin on his face, and her head is thrown back as she laughs. The third one is of her with her arms wrapped around him and him struggling to start tickling her again. The fourth one is of them hugging each other to death, smiles on their faces despite being deprived of oxygen. The fifth one is of her kissing him on the cheek, and he's still smiling, not registering the kiss quite yet.

The fifth one would convince anyone that they're a couple.

"Wow, they're nice," he murmurs, looking over her shoulder at them. He actually has to duck his head a bit because he's just that much taller than her.

"Yeah," she agrees. "They are. Well, we'd better take a few more pictures. Maybe near a ride?"

He nods, enthusiastically. "Let's go on the rollercoaster! They take a picture of the ride at one point."

She opens her mouth to say no, but she makes the mistake of looking at him. His eyes are wide, and he's pouting his lip, resembling some sort of sad puppy. Faltering at the rather innocent look on the rather dirty boy, she agrees. His face lights up like the night sky on Independence Day as he cheers, dragging her over to the intimidating rollercoaster.

She has second thoughts when she boards the monstrous ride.

"Austin," she begins, nervously, "I-"

"Oh, no, you're staying right here," he smirks, looping his arm through hers. She looks up at him, eyes wide.

"But-" And then the coaster starts moving, startling her into a terrified silence. Seeing that his fake girlfriend is actually really scared, Austin puts his arm around her, which makes her jump slightly, but she doesn't do anything because they're ascending the first big hill.

The ride passes by fairly quickly, punctuated by Ally's soft squeals every few seconds. She never screams, to Austin's amazement, even though she's obviously freaking out.

When they get off, he has to steady her because she's obviously feeling kind of... green. They get the picture, and while she looks sick to her stomach, he looks like he's having the time of his life.

"Are you okay?" He asks as they leave, glancing at her in concern.

She swallows, difficultly. "...Yeah. Just, uh... Give me a second." She takes a few deep breaths and reminds herself to never go on that ride again. "I think... I'm good. So, um, we need to go take a few more pictures. Come on."

First, she tells him to change into a different set of clothes, so he does, as does she.

He follows her as she leads him away from the amusement park and to an old abandoned road that's cracked in various places with weeds sprouting up. She instructs him to sit down on a dirty old couch, which he does with a reasonable hesitation.

"Um, is this- and you're sitting down too," he mutters as she sits next to him.

"It's alright. I know it's dirty, but whatever, you know? Now, come on; smile."

She smiles softly and holds out her camera at arm's length. He wraps an arm around her shoulders, a warm smile on his face.

For the first time, she doesn't blush at his close proximity.

She snaps the picture then brings the camera back, checking the picture.

"Wow," they breathe at the same time.

Their softly smiling faces are close, barely an inch apart, his arm keeping their bodies close together. The sun is setting right behind them, illuminating their frames in a perfect mix of light and shadows.

"That's... like..." Austin struggles to find the right word.

"Amazing," Ally finishes in a hushed voice. "I haven't taken a picture like that since... Um, yeah." She looks away and clears her throat quietly. "One last stop."

They stop at the park to change one last time, and then she takes him to the other side of the park.

"We already took park pictures," he points out as he sits down next to the quiet girl. She absently picks some flowers near her, and he can't help but take a picture of her doing that, marveling at how pretty she looks in the setting sun.

He never expected to think that nerdy Ally Dawson is pretty.

"I know," she says, softly, bunching the flowers together. "Just one more." She motions for him to lie on his back, so he does. She lies next to him and rests her head on his chest, looking up at the stars. He moves closer to her to make it easier for her and slips an arm around her.

The camera clicks as it takes the picture.

He puts his chin on her shoulder, looking at it with her. "I like that one," he whispers. She pauses.

"So do I."

* * *

They develop the pictures and part ways so that Ally can go home and put her clothes away. She meets him at the park, freshly showered and wearing black boots, black jeans, and a red long-sleeved shirt.

"Hey," she sighs, approaching him. "My dad wants me home by nine," she tells him, as a superficial notion. She doesn't actually have to be home by then, but maybe he won't keep her too long if she tells him a curfew time.

Her hand slips into her messenger bag, pulling out the strip from the photo booth. "Which ones do you want?"

He narrows his eyes, looking it over. "Three, four, and five," he says, decisively.

She glances up at him in surprise. "You didn't want two?"

He shakes his head, smirking devilishly. "Nah. You look like you're straddling me in three." Her eyes widen, and she quickly checks the picture, groaning when she sees that he's right.

"Ugh, here," she mutters, ripping the strip and handing him his pictures. He grins, pocketing them.

"Thanks. Okay, so, you ready to meet my parents?" He asks, rhetorically, before adding, "Don't forget to act a bit nerdy, since that's why I chose you in the first place."

She rolls her eyes, despite feeling slightly nervous. She may not be his actual girlfriend, but she does need to make his parents think she is or, of course, there will be consequences.

"Sure, let's go," she says, and he signals for her to follow him.

They cross several streets and take a million turns, so she knows that she won't be able to get home on her own. He seems perfectly at ease, though, and never falters in his choice of direction.

Honestly, she can't say that she's surprised when they walk up to an estate.

"Nice place," she observes with a tinge of resentment, "you guys must be pretty rich."

He doesn't notice the resentment in her voice and nods, but he doesn't seem too excited. "Yep. It's nice, right?"

"Yeah, it's really nice," she agrees, looking around the grand estate's property.

No words or last minute warnings are exchanged as the odd pair traverses the walkway, Austin opening the wooden double doors that look like they were pulled from the medieval times at the end.

She's hit by the rich smell of steak, and she has to stop her jaw from dropping. She hasn't had steak in... well, forever.

Austin, however, is passive as he lazily calls out, "Okay, I brought her!" He looks down at her, annoyed, when he feels her dagger-like glare fixed on him. "Well, what was I supposed to say?"

She opens her mouth to retort just as a blonde woman comes running around the corner, causing Ally to jump towards Austin and wrap her arm around his. To her inner disappointment, she can't snap back at Austin.

The woman clasps her hands together in, what Ally considers, an overdramatic fashion. "Oh, you are so pretty! And you two look adorable together!" She coos.

Austin rolls his eyes in irritation. _"Mom!"_

She seems to drop from cloud nine back to Earth, blinking in confusion. "Oh, I'm sorry, hun. I forgot."

Ally looks up at her supposed boyfriend in bewilderment, but he just mouths, _Tell you later._

His mom, presumably Mrs. Moon, smiles warmly at her, saying, "Welcome to our wonderful home! Come, come, dinner's almost done." She leads them back to the kitchen, which rivals a professional one in a five-star restaurant.

It has a stainless steel double door fridge with pictures and a calendar hung up on it with magnets, and next to it is a dishwasher. The oven is squished tightly in a space between the counters, and the microwave is built into the wall amongst cabinets. A sink is sitting in front of a window, which looks out onto the grounds. Two islands are pushed up against each other in the middle of the kitchen, another sink planted into one.

"This is really nice," Ally compliments, politely.

Mrs. Moon grins, widely. "Thank you so much!" The petite brunette nods, while Austin sighs.

"Mom, please stop yelling," he mutters, tightening his grip on Ally. She thinks that this is odd but doesn't try to pull away.

"Oh, sorry," she quickly apologizes, bustling around the kitchen. "So, Ally, is there anything you would like to drink in particular?" She asks as she takes the mouth-watering steaks out of what looks like a heater on one of the islands.

Ally's tongue darts out to wet her lips for a nanosecond before she answers, "No, it's okay." No one notices her actions, making her relax in relief.

Mrs. Moon smiles at the two teenagers, beckoning them into a different room with her head. "Well, come on; let's eat!"

* * *

She can't stop staring around the dining room.

The walls are ornately designed with elegant roses decorating the beige wallpaper, and the floor is clean marble. A long wooden table reminiscent of past times stretches down the middle of the room, high-backed chairs standing stout on each side. A twinkling crystal chandelier dangles from the ceiling, casting a bright glow on the people below.

She wonders if she's dreaming.

When she glances at the two Moons, she can picture them in the clothes of royalty, complete with capes and crowns.

To think a simple peasant girl (if you'd prefer older terms) like her is sitting with a queen and prince in modern times is bizarre.

Austin is finishing up his steak by now and so is Mimi (she learned that that's his mom's name), but Ally's still working on hers. She's getting full by now because she's used to eating so little.

"You gonna eat that?" Austin asks around a mouthful of mashed potatoes, pointing a fork at her steak that she's pulling back from.

"Austin!" Mimi cries, whacking her son on the arm. He flinches even though it doesn't hurt much and rubs the spot she hit.

"What?" He asks, defensively.

Ally giggles, softly. "No, it's okay. You can have it."

He gives his mom a pointed glare as he steals the steak from Ally, plopping it down on his plate.

Ally pokes her mashed potatoes, taking a bite every so often. The table is silent for a while until Austin questions in an annoyed voice, "What, Dad got 'held up' at work again?" He puts air quotes around 'held up.'

His mom glares at him. "Austin..." She warns, eyes narrowing.

He throws his hands in the air, exasperated. _"What?_ Both of you wanted to meet Ally, and he couldn't be bothered to take off work for one damn day? I think that I have a right to be pissed!"

"Language!" Mimi snaps, pointing a stern finger at her son. "What did I tell you about-"

"Oh, _excuse me,"_ he hisses, harshly. "I am _so_ sorry for swearing! I should just go to my room because I am such a petulant child, right? Okay, no answer, so I will!" He roughly pushes himself away from the table, the chair squeaking on the floor. He swiftly stands and storms off, leaving a fuming Mimi and a stunned Ally behind.

She blinks. She had never realized that his family situation was so bad... She looks down at her lap, feeling slightly guilty. She may not be his actual girlfriend, or even his friend, and she may not know him, but she does know that she needs to go after him.

"I'm so sorry, but please excuse me..." Ally says, quietly, slipping out of her chair and hurrying after him. Mimi is too angry to reply.

She passes through the kitchen and looks around in confusion, already lost in this huge house. The appearance of the mansion from the outside pops into her head, and she wants to groan when she realizes that she'll have to search five floors.

The first room she enters looks like a living room, only five times larger than a regular one. She disappears down the hall and ghosts through the long hallways until she reaches the stairs.

"They need signs or something," she mutters as she trudges up the stairs, wondering where she'll end up next.

As it turns out, she enters another living room, and she sighs. "How hard is it to find his bedroom?" She mumbles, hesitantly creeping down one of the halls. She peeks in the rooms on both sides of the hall this time, seeing a bathroom, an office, a den, an empty room, a linen closet, and a door leading into a storage room.

At the end of the hall is a turn, which leads to a walkway with carefully crafted black rails on each side. They twist into different cylindrical and cone-like shapes, and some have metallic roses infused into them.

"I'm starting to see why he hates flowers," she says, noting the railings. She peers over and sees large rooms on each side, most likely both living rooms. How many do they need? But as she looks closer, she realizes that the room on the right is the same one she passed through on the start of her trek (because, really, that's what this is turning out to be).

The room on the left is filled with wrapped gifts and a few balloons, and she figures that they must be for Austin. After all, they did graduate today...

She pushes through the set of chalk white double doors at the end of the walkway, entering a cavernous room with a soaring ceiling and pure white and black furniture.

"What in the world?" She murmurs, amazed. Not only is everything pure white and black... but they're all actual chess pieces on a white and black checkered floor. "Obsessed with chess much?"

Of course, no one is there to give her an answer.

She stares up at a towering white queen that stands at least a few feet taller than her. But when she nudges it, it easily slides across the floor a bit. Fascinated, she moves it towards the piece in front of it. A giggle slips from her mouth as it bumps into it.

After a couple minutes, she stops messing around and puts the queen back in place and continues her search, crossing the board.

"Huh?" She asks, confused, voice bouncing around the room in an eerie echo. Three doors fan out in front of her, each designed differently.

One is bright purple with pink polka dots, only half a foot across. Another is sunshine yellow with black stripes randomly slashed across it, and it's the size of a regular door. The last one is so neon orange and yellow, it hurts her eyes. Unfortunately, it's the widest one, which means it has more width to torture her eyes with.

"Is this like a funhouse or something?" She questions the empty air, head tilting. "Or maybe they're eccentric... That must be it," she concludes, hoping that she's right.

She picks the yellow and black door and finds herself in a hallway with bright blue walls on each side, instruments painted on them. She stares at them in amazement and then looks up at the ceiling, where gold stars dangle and shine over her. "Wow..." She whispers in awe, tip-toeing down the hall.

Soon, she discovers the door at the end of the hall and enters, jaw dropping immediately.

A stage is set up against the back of the room, with a microphone and stand at the front, a guitar resting on its own stand, a drum set in the back right corner, and a keyboard in the back left. Seats line the wall opposite the stage, maybe just in case the performers have an audience. Most of the room is open for whatever reason, and a window lets in the moonlight from outside.

She walks up to the stage and settles behind the keyboard, trailing her fingers across the keys wistfully. A quick, cheery riff rings through the silence for a brief moment, and she cracks smile.

She leaves before she gets absorbed in the most amazing room in the house, in her opinion. She travels throughout the house, soundlessly, a sleepy haze settling over her vision.

It's been a long day.

She finally stumbles across yellow and blue double doors at the end of yet another hall, music notes decorating the doors. She hopes that this is his bedroom and prays that he likes music.

Her hand lifts up and knocks. No answer.

"Austin?" She calls, softly. Still nothing.

She sighs and twists the knob, poking her head in. She doesn't see him.

His blue plaid bed looks used, and she knows that it's his room because his clothes are strewn around the room and the pictures they took earlier are scattered across his sheets. The odd thought of him looking at them crosses her mind, but she quickly brushes it off. He wouldn't... right?

She finds that he does indeed love music, since he has guitars, a keyboard, and a few other instruments all around. His desk has unfinished homework piled on top, and his backpack from earlier is placed on his chair.

She mutters under her breath, walking over to his window seat and sitting down on it, looking out the window at the night sky. She's always loved Miami nights. The night air calms her down.

She must have dozed off, because next thing she knows, she's being shaken awake.

"Ally, come on," a voice whispers, probably belonging to the person who's shaking her.

Her eyes flicker open, taking in the vague image of a blonde-haired boy. "Austin?" She murmurs sleepily as he stops shaking her, letting out a sigh of relief. She stretches out her stiff limbs and yawns.

"Thank God," he breathes, bending down to look her in the eye seriously. "Do you know how long I've been looking for you?"

She frowns and cocks her head in confusion, looking like a lost puppy. "I've been looking for _you."_

He exhales and straightens up, crossing his arms in annoyance. "Whatever. What are you doing sleeping on my window seat?"

She silently stands and then purses her lips, answering, "I was looking for you, found your room, and ended up dozing off here, I guess." Her eyes soften with concern. "Are you okay?"

He wonders if he should try to avoid the subject, but dismisses the idea because he knows that she'll just pursue it. If anything, she's determined. "Yeah, I... I'll be fine. I deal with this a lot, so you know," he shrugs, trying to act nonchalant, but she picks up on his distressed vibe.

One of her hands reaches up for a second before dropping as she withdraws from him, shaking her head. "Look, Austin, I know that we don't know each other, but if you need someone to talk to, I'll be here." Her gaze drops to her boots as she whispers, "Always." She forces a smile to her face, lifting her head again. "Okay?"

He's too stunned to say anything but, "Okay."

She nods, firmly, like she's trying to convince herself that this is fine. Talking to who used to be the king of her school like this is fine. (It's not but she'll pretend it is.) "Good." As she brushes past him, she gives his hand a quick squeeze of reassurance.

And then she's gone.

He finally turns around and realizes that she just went off on her own again. "Ally, wait!"

He chases after her, running down various hallways with no real sense of direction. Eventually, he finds her on the second floor, observing the pieces in the chess room. She spins towards him, eyes wide, when he bursts through the doors, but relaxes, noticing that it's only him.

"Sorry, I had to stop by this bizarre room before I left," she says, apologetically, turning back to the pawn she was examining. "You guys must really like chess."

He flushes, walking towards her. "No, that's just Mom. She and Dad designed this whole house."

She hums, slightly surprised. "Really?" She says. "That's pretty cool. I don't really approve of the house's maze-like inside, though. I got pretty lost."

He chuckles. "I used to get lost a lot too when I was a kid."

She smiles just a bit, and silence follows his comment. It's not really awkward, and it's not really comfortable, so it unnerves him a little.

"Austin?" Ally asks, quietly, breaking the indescribable silence.

"Yeah?" He asks quickly, anxious to avoid the silence that was previously filling the room.

"You know your parents love you... right?"

He scoffs a bit, turning his head. "Sure they do."

"They do. Trust me. They may seem busy and distant, but... They're right there if you need them. They work hard so that you don't ever have to worry about anything. Do you understand that, Austin?" She sighs, running a hand through her curls. "Stop being so petulant- because you are- and look at the bigger picture."

He scowls, crossing his arms. "I am_ not_," he mutters, refusing to look at her.

"Well, you're being petulant right now," she points out.

He groans and swings his head towards her, sending a glare her way. "Do you always have to be right?" He growls in annoyance, but she doesn't frown like he expected her to.

Instead, she grits her teeth, showing anger for the first time since she came here. "I am not a perfectionist! Dammit, stop saying that! God, how can you people judge someone you don't know? Just because I strive to get good grades, does not make me _perfect!"_

Her chest heaves as she recovers from yelling, and she snaps her mouth shut, biting her tongue.

The things she says when she snaps.

He's stunned into silence at her outburst. When did she grow a spine?

She sighs, chewing on her lip nervously. "Sorry," she mumbles. "I just... I'm not perfect, and I don't always have to be right. I don't like it when people assume that I need to be perfect. I'm not some stupid, naïve idiot, you know." And then she lets out another sigh. "Stupid and idiot mean practically the same thing. See, I'm not perfect."

He just stares at her, an odd look on his face. She shifts, uncomfortably. "What?"

"I thought that you needed to be perfect," he says, carefully, trying not to set her off again. She looks away, sighing yet again.

_She sighs a lot,_ he notes.

"Most people do," she says, resentfully.

"You never said anything."

She scoffs a bit, turning her head slightly to look at him from the corners of her eyes. "I was supposed to stand up to the people who seem to live to see me suffer?"

He flushes and glances down at his shoes, scuffing them against the floor. "We don't- I don't- I mean..."

"Austin, if you have something to say, say it."

"I just... I guess I didn't realize you felt that way. I mean, I know it's wrong and that you probably don't like it, but... Well, if it's any consolation, I never hated you."

She raises an eyebrow, skeptically. "Then why did you do all of that?"

He inhales deeply, opening his mouth to say something but nothing comes out. He tries again a couple more times before finally getting out a, "Lashing out, I guess."

He expects her to ask why, scoff, or snap at him again, but she doesn't do any of those. She only looks slightly embarrassed, averting her gaze completely.

"Oh," she says in a small voice. "I should have guessed that in the first place. Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? I'm the one who should be apologizing," he admits, for once in his life. Apologies are something he struggles with.

"No, no, it's okay," she sighs, brushing him off with a wave of her hand. "I... I misjudged you, just like you misjudged me. Look, can we just... Just call it even? And stop judging each other by what we see on the surface?"

He shrugs, smiling a bit. "Sure. I'd like that."

She turns to him with half of a smile on her face. "Yeah. Me too." Then she pulls out her phone and glances at the time, sighing again. "Well, it's way past the time I was supposed to be home, so I guess I can just walk. Thanks for having me over, I think," she says in a puzzled voice, wondering how to put this strange visit into terms.

He ignores her last comment and furrows his brow at her. "You're walking home? Now? From here?"

"I should be home by six in the morning," she jokes, weakly. At his flat stare, her shoulders slump, and she puts her phone back in her pocket. "Well, I'm not sure where the nearest bus is, and I'd rather not call a cab, so what do you suggest I do?"

He smirks, devilishly, and she knows that expression all too well. "Stay here."

Her jaw drops. "Are you crazy?" She squeaks, blushing madly. "If someone sees me, they'll- you and I aren't- but-"

"Would you rather catch a cab with a perv for a driver?" He interrupts, wryly.

She immediately stops protesting and lowers her gaze in defeat. "No..."

He grins. "There's a guest bedroom on my floor. I'll tell my mom you're staying over on the intercom." He walks over to a device on the wall and delivers the message. Ally wonders if she'll say no. She doesn't, but she does say that they'll need to talk about his dad in the morning. Ally sees him roll his eyes, but he still mutters a reluctant agreement.

He finishes the conversation and glances back at her, raising an eyebrow. "Coming?"

She scampers after him as he strides out of the room and ascends a couple flights of stairs, stopping at his floor, which is the fourth one. He leads her through his room and to a door inside, opening it. It reveals another hallway with a few doors in it.

"Why do you have a hallway in your room?" She asks, confused, hesitantly poking her head past the doorframe.

"Well, it's not really in my room, only attached to it. But you can't access it any other way, so I guess that you could say it's in my room," he shrugs.

She peeks inside the room on the right as she passes and finds that he's turned it into a gaming room, complete with consoles, cases, and beanbags. "Those are comfortable?" She asks as she points to a flattened beanbag.

"Of course," he snorts. "You've never sat on one before?"

She pauses, thinking. "Maybe a long time ago," she decides, moving on before he tries to get her to sit on one.

She checks the door on the left, discovering a relatively empty room, except for a few posters of older bands like the Beatles decorating the walls. "Why is this room empty?" She asks, curiously.

"Oh, uh... Couldn't find a use for it," he answers quickly, ushering her towards the double doors at the end of the hall. She finds his actions weird but doesn't comment on them.

"You guys have a lot of double doors," she notes as they come to a stop before the blank white doors. She notices markers and an eraser resting inside of a container nailed into the wall next to the doors. "What's up with the markers?"

"Oh, these aren't wooden doors," he grins. "These are whiteboards. You know, like some teachers use instead of chalkboards?"

Her eyes widen in amazement as she reaches out to touch a door. Amazingly, he's right. "Cool," she breathes, running her fingers along the board. "So is this the only room with these type of doors?"

"Yep," he days, popping the 'p.' "And it's all yours for one night. So, come on; let's go." He opens the doors and pushes them open, Ally standing on her tiptoes to try to catch a glimpse over his shoulder. Unfortunately, he's too tall, so she has to settle for looking around him.

"Wow," she whispers, staring at the room in shock.

Two of the walls are painted deep purple, and the other two are painted red. A king-sized bed with red covers resides in the center of the room, looking fit for royalty. A dresser is resting next to the bed, and a lamp sits on top of it.

A few other pieces of furniture are scattered through the room, but what really catches her eye are the instruments. A set of ocean blue drums is set up on a raised platform, and just to the right of the platform are three guitars hanging on the wall. A keyboard stands directly in front of the guitars.

"Sorry about the instruments," he apologizes, sheepishly. "I know that they're all over the place," he says, gesturing to the corner of instruments she had been admiring, a trumpet hanging on a wall, and a few others spread throughout the room.

She blinks, realizing that he doesn't know she likes music. "Austin, it's fine," she laughs, walking over to the keyboard. "I like music too." To show him, she plays a quick cartoonish riff.

His eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Really? We actually have something in common?"

"It appears so," she giggles, amused by his shock.

He cracks a smile and joins her in his little music corner, taking an acoustic guitar off of the wall. He strums it and glances up at her. "I just realized that we might not know a song we can do together."

She laughs again. He likes her better when she's happy.

"Then maybe we need to do this another time. We can try a different day," she suggests, and he nods.

"Well, feel free to use anything. Just tell me if you used something that required your mouth," he says as he puts the guitar back up.

"Ew, no." She scrunches her nose. "You probably used them before. I think I'll pass."

He rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Curious, she looks at him, raising an eyebrow. "Hey, I have a question."

He shrugs. "Go ahead; ask."

"Why did your mom know my name, but you couldn't remember it?"

He blushes. "Oh. Well, I had a hard time remembering it when I was first telling my parents about you, and I guess that I forgot it again."

She rolls her eyes. "Gee, how did you ever pick me?"

He shrugs again. "I dunno." Another roll of her eyes. "I'm kind of glad I did, though."

Her eyes widen in surprise. "Really?"

He grins, lopsidedly. "Well, yeah. You're pretty cool, you know."

She smiles up at him, surprising him with a brief hug. She blushes afterward but still says, warmly, "Thanks, Austin, for saying that and for letting me stay. Good night."

He smiles, softly. "No problem. Night." He leaves and closes the doors behind him.

She sighs and tosses her messenger bag onto the dresser as she falls onto the bed, frowning to herself.

This day did not go as planned.

First of all, she didn't even keep up her end of the deal. Sure, she played the part of his girlfriend, but she didn't act nerd-ish at all tonight.

Second, she wasn't supposed to become- what are they? Acquaintances? Friends? Whatever the case may be, she certainly wasn't supposed to get closer to Austin Moon- her sworn enemy since ninth grade, her prime antagonist, and someone she used to only feel bitterness toward. Now? Now, she thinks that they might be friends. And she would be okay with that.

Because it's her, and she's as forgiving as they come. Even to sworn enemies.


	2. Second Day (Cleared Air)

**Hi.**

**To the reviewer who said that Ally forgiving Austin so easily was like a slap to the face, well, I understand where that's coming from. It does seem like it. There's a reason why she's so forgiving, though. I did more background in this chapter (not about why she's so forgiving, though), so I hope this helps.**

**And I, being an idiot, forgot to mention that this is a five-chapter story, which is also why I'm making the chapters as long as I can.**

**And, to polish this off, thank you to all of the people who read/reviewed/favorited/followed this story. You guys are awesome.**

**Hope this chapter isn't as awful as I think it is because you guys deserve better. **

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally or any songs I use. I also do not own any books I mention**

* * *

Second Day (Cleared Air)

_"__Radio, bleed me a melody_

_That'll make this boy cry_

_Radio, bleed me a melody_

_That'll make him wonder why_

_He was so cold_

_Broken glass and a pretty face_

_Silent mourn, full of hate_

_Quiet face, silent mind_

_Screaming for consequence, bleedin' for more."_

_-"Radio" by He Is We_

* * *

Ally wakes up the next day and finds a bag of clothes sitting on the dresser with a note beside it.

_Ally-_

_I thought that you could use a new pair of clothes. And you can't buy a new outfit without shoes, right? Hope you like it._

_-Mimi_

The barest traces of a smile appear on her face as she puts the note down, gathering up the bag and swinging her legs over the edge. She stands up and searches the room for a bathroom, finding it on the left side. She doesn't take a shower since she did right before she came here and checks the bag's contents.

Mimi was kind enough to get two outfits. A white dress with slight ridges, a thick dark brown wooden belt, and white flats make up the first outfit. The second outfit is a red tank top, short black shorts, and red and black sneakers to match.

She bites her lip, having a tough time choosing. Finally, she decides on the tank top and shorts, putting them on. She slips her feet into the sneakers and then combs through her hair with her fingers, wetting her fingers before dragging them through her tangled curls.

She deems herself socially acceptable and grabs the bag, leaving. She drops it back onto the dresser then picks up her phone, dialing her father's number.

_"Ally?"_

She sighs at the slur in his voice. "Hi, Daddy," she greets, sweetly. "I'm sorry about not coming home last night..."

* * *

She's close to crying by the end of the call.

"...okay, Daddy," she murmurs. "Love you."

The line goes dead.

He wasn't mad that she didn't come home last night; in fact, he didn't seem to notice or care. He just told her to come home whenever.

Same as ever.

Before she leaves, she takes a few minutes to think. She thinks about last night, when she finally found out why Austin acts the way he does. And she feels embarrassed because, honestly, she should've seen that. She should have.

His parents are the reason why he's so cold to almost everyone around him, except for the people he hangs out with. And it makes complete sense, considering the scene that unfolded before her eyes last night.

Still, she has another question, but it's not one she'll be asking him.

_Did he grow up too fast, like me?_

It's a valid question, and it worries her. No one should have to grow up too fast, handling responsibilities that they shouldn't have to. It just shouldn't happen... And yet, it does.

Shaking her head, she pockets her phone and exits the room, walking down the hall. She pokes her head into Austin's room and finds him still sleeping. She had figured that he still would be since it's only seven in the morning.

She sneaks past him and is about to leave when a sleepy voice asks, "Ally?"

She cringes and slowly turns around with a heavy sigh. "Yeah?"

The drowsy blonde sits up, squinting at her. "What are you..." His jaw drops when he finally gets a clear picture of her. "You look... Um... Wow."

She blushes and looks down, tugging on her shorts self-consciously. "Thanks. I think."

"Uh... Yeah. You look really good. Like..." He seems to struggle for the right words. "Hot." Well, she is, but he doesn't think that's the right word to describe her appearance right now. Stupid mouth. Maybe he should have said 'beautiful' (though, he rarely uses that word) or 'really good' (actually, that sounds lame).

She blushes harder. No one has ever called her that before. "...Um, uh, thank you. Sorry to wake you." She hurries out before her face gets any hotter.

Ally bounds through the house until she reaches the kitchen, pushing through the doors.

She spots Mimi bustling about the kitchen, most likely preparing breakfast.

"Good morning, Mrs. Moon!" Ally chirps, coming further into the room.

The blonde whirls around in surprise, brightening up when she sees the younger girl standing there. "Ally! Good morning! How'd you sleep?"

"Well, thank you," she replies. "How did you?"

She smiles at her politeness. "Also well, thank you. Do you know if Austin is awake yet?"

Ally has to contain a blush because of what happened earlier when she passed through his room. "Oh, yeah, he is. Do you want to talk to him? I can make breakfast," she offers with a smile, remembering their fight from last night. She probably wants to talk to him about it.

Mimi falters, glancing down at the ingredients on the counter. "Well... I mean, if you wouldn't mind..."

"Oh, no, it's no problem," she says, warmly.

Mimi hesitates before taking her offer and thanking her. "Thank you so much, Ally."

"You're welcome," she replies with another smile. "Good luck!" She calls as she opens the door. "And thank you for the clothes!"

She waves a hand, dismissively, disappearing out the door. "Thank you and my pleasure!"

Ally grins to herself and then turns to the rest of the kitchen, furrowing her brow in thought.

"Now what to make?" She wonders aloud.

She finds herself gathering the ingredients for pancakes- except they're _her_ pancakes. Which means that she's grabbing chocolate bars and chips, whipped cream, strawberries, and pretty much anything she can get her hands on.

Fifteen minutes later finds her dusted in flour with an oversized white apron covering her. She stirs the dough for the pure chocolate pancakes she's making while peering down at the regular pancakes cooking in the pan. She flips them with one hand, which is actually pretty hard but she still gets it accomplished.

Batch after batch appears on the counter until she finally stops with at least thirty large-sized pancakes finished before her. She sets about decorating a few, maybe getting a little carried away.

The doors bang open after a while, but she doesn't bother looking up from slaving over her decorating. She drops the can of whipped cream out of surprise, though, and mutters a curse.

"Hey, what smells so- Whoa."

Austin stops dead in his tracks, staring at the pancakes spread throughout his kitchen. He sees dark pancakes (are they pure chocolate?), regular pancakes, and pancakes with whipped cream smiley faces and cherry noses.

"Sorry for raiding your kitchen," Ally says, absently, not sounding apologetic at all. "Hope you like pancakes."

He slowly walks towards her, eyes wide. "Are you a mind reader?" He whispers, awestruck.

She glances up at him in confusion, setting down her can of whipped cream. "What do you mean?"

He blinks. "Oh. Never mind."

She quirks an eyebrow at him. "Now you've got me curious. Come on; tell me what you meant."

He blushes, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I just... I thought that you somehow knew that pancakes are my favorite food of all time."

Her mouth forms an 'o' as realization sinks in. "Wow. Coincidence much?" She jokes, poking him in the arm playfully. He cracks a smile at the brunette.

"I guess. So can I eat?" He asks, eagerly. She shrugs.

"Sure. Take whatever you want, Austin," she answers, waving a hand dismissively. His face lights up like a kid's on Christmas morning as he starts running around the kitchen, grabbing pancakes left and right. "Where're your parents?"

He pauses, narrowing his eyes. "Mom's calling Dad at work," he replies, gruffly, continuing on his mission to get as many pancakes as possible.

Her eyes widen in surprise. "Your dad's still at work?"

He scowls. "Yep. Dad the workaholic."

She frowns in silent disapproval. "I'm sorry for bringing it up," she says, quietly. He shrugs it off, stabbing his fork through a pancake with more force than necessary.

Silence fills the kitchen for a few minutes as he eats his pancakes and she decorates more, popping a small strawberry in her mouth every so often.

Austin finally decides to break the heavy silence. "What about yours?"

Ally freezes, praying that he doesn't mean what she thinks he does. "My what?"

"Your parents," he elaborates. "Where are they? Don't they want you home? You mentioned last night that your dad wanted you home by nine."

She opts to sigh instead of avoid the subject. "...Um, I... My dad said that it was okay and that I can come home whenever I want to. He's really... laid-back in his parenting."

Understatement of the century. Or, no, maybe the millennium.

He whistles, eating another piece of his pancake. "Wish my parents would let me do whatever I want," he mutters, bitterly.

She wants to tell him that no, in fact, he doesn't. But as usual, she's quiet and continues to arrange the banana slices in the perfect positions for eyes.

Eventually, she stops her incessant decorating and looks over at Austin. "Your pancakes are drowning," she notes, pointing to his food.

He glances down at his stack of syrup-drenched pancakes. "So are yours," he shoots back.

A blush rises to her porcelain cheeks as she does a quick take of her syrupy pancakes. "...Touché?"

He laughs.

"Touché."

* * *

"And now we..."

She blinks, looking up from her examination of one of his many keyboards. He's gazing down at her boredly, prompting her to pick something for them to do.

"Me? You want me to pick?" She asks, hesitantly. 'Fun' isn't really a word in her vocabulary. Unless you count studying books for hours 'fun'... Well, she does, but she doubts he would.

"Yes, Ally," he rolls his eyes, but he doesn't seem all that annoyed. "I want you to pick."

She chews on her lip nervously as she steps out from behind the keyboard, crossing the room over to his chair at his desk, where she removes his backpack from the seat before sitting down. "I'm not really a 'fun' person, Austin... You shouldn't trust me to pick."

He jumps onto his bed, sitting cross-legged and propping his elbow on his knee, resting his cheek in his palm. "Okay, then, let's brainstorm. Since you don't have to go home, we can do whatever we want."

There's a long pause after his words, in which he just sits there while she looks like she's thinking about something.

"I don't understand," she says, suddenly, and he turns to her, eyebrow arching out of curiosity.

"What don't you understand?" He asks.

She sighs, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. She seems to debate with herself about what she's going to say, and finally, after a few long seconds, she speaks again. "Why you insist on hanging out with me. I don't understand. I know you said that you wanted to get to know me better because you haven't been fair to me, but still. Is that a good enough reason? I want the truth, Austin." She pauses, and her voice seems to crack. "I don't appreciate being lied to." After she's done talking, she gets up and stands in the middle of the room. A second later, he joins her.

He frowns, crossing his arms. His eyes, to her, appear defiant, and she knows that she's in for an argument. "Haven't we gone over this?" He asks, roughly.

Or maybe she'll be the one starting an argument. "Yeah, the fake version! You've given me reasons, but are they real?" He winces, looking away. "Austin, look at me!" She demands, but he just keeps his head down. "Austin!" She grabs him by the shoulders and shakes him once, and though he doesn't even stumble because she's not very strong, he does look up. Staring into his eyes, she repeats, this time softer and more fragile, "Are they real?"

He moistens his lips, nervously. "Th-they're... real. Just... Just not the whole truth."

He winces again as she lets him go, obviously disappointed. "Then what is, Austin? And don't lie to me again. Just... don't." There seems to be something far away and distant in her order, but he doesn't have time to ponder it now.

"I..." He struggles to get the words out, and she stands there, waiting impatiently. "I... owe this to you. Friendship won't erase what I've done, but I feel like I owe it to you to give you another chance."

"What happened to my first chance?" She spits as her years of frustration and anger finally bubble over. "I know that we've gone to school together since kindergarten, and you and I weren't friends, but we definitely weren't enemies. We barely ever talked to each other! I never did anything to you! Where the hell is my _first _chance, Austin? Why did you start bullying me in ninth grade? _Why? _Did you think it was funny? And don't tell me about that whole 'lashing out' thing again! I understand that, but I want a better answer!"

He can't help it; he explodes too. "Because, Ally! I needed to, okay? High school is like a huge shark tank! You're either one of the sharks or its food! You don't just _become _a shark! I needed to prove it! I didn't _want _things to turn out like this; it just happened! Believe it or not, I used to be good! And you should know that because we've been going to the same schools together since we were kids!

"I didn't want to hurt anyone; I really didn't! But I had to if I wanted to survive! You were the easiest target for me. If I picked you, then I wouldn't have to do anything extreme. A thrown egg here, a water balloon there, and a spitball session in between! It was so simple! Because it was you, I didn't have to call you 'bitch' or 'slut' or, Cassidy's personal favorite, 'whore.' I didn't have to do that! I didn't _want _to do that! I'm sorry, Ally, but you were the easiest. And because it was convincing, I became a shark, not food. I didn't _want_ to make you miserable, okay?"

She just stares at him. He makes a convincing argument, but it's not enough information for her. She needs more. "Why didn't you have to call me names?"

He groans, running a hand down his face. "Because calling you names was off-limits. We knew better than to call you those names because you were, like, the principal's pet. Calling other girls bitch, well, it didn't sit well with her, but she normally just kept on walking. But if we were caught calling you a bitch? Damn, would we be in for an ass-whip."

Principal's pet? Okay, yes, she was a bit like the principal's pet, but still. "So... She would ignore you guys bullying other girls but not me?" She asks, confused. That doesn't make any sense.

"Yeah, she would. Once, Cassidy was caught. Don't you remember?"

She tries to remember. Did that happen?

Slowly, the memory pieces itself back together. Cassidy had just called her a bitch, and then their principal, Mrs. Smith, came around the corner, grabbed Cassidy by the wrist, and dragged her off. Cassidy never called her a bitch again.

"Oh. Yeah, I remember," she says, grimacing at the memory. Definitely not one of her better days...

"See?" He points out. "You were the easiest target. It didn't make it okay, but I kept telling myself every day that I bullied you that I would make up for it someday. This is me, trying to make up for it. I know now that I'll never be able to fully make up for it, but dammit, Ally, I can try."

His voice falls to a whisper as he gives her a pleading look. "Please, just let me try."

She stares at him, stunned. Tears are welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. She finally has her answer after all this time. She finally knows why he did what he did.

And how does she feel?

She feels guilty for thinking he was heartless; she feels angry because he didn't have to be a shark and could have just fended for himself like most of the school; and she feels sad because she knows that this had weighed heavily upon him just like it had weighed heavily upon her. But most of all, she feels satisfied because she finally has her answer.

Most of all, she knows what she has to do.

His head has already lowered again, and she sees that his hands are balled into fists. And that's how she knows that he's sorry.

She gently reaches down and takes his hands into her smaller ones. She uncurls his fists, one finger at a time. He doesn't bother looking up.

"Hey," she murmurs. "Look at me."

Slowly, he raises his head, and to her shock, he's on the verge of crying. His eyes are filled with tears of regret, and he shakes his head. "I'm so sorry," he whispers, his voice husky from the strain on his throat. "I'm so, so sorry."

By now, both of their walls have crumbled into nothingness, swept away by invisible winds.

Her tears start to fall. "I forgive you."

He shakes his head again. "You shouldn't."

"That's what you think, Austin. But this is my decision, and I'm deciding to forgive you. I know what you think, but, see, forgiveness is something everyone needs. If you go around carrying a grudge for the rest of your life, what good will that do you? It's always wiser to forgive, forget, and move on, whether the person you're forgiving will be in your life or not. Everyone deserves a second chance, Austin."

Embarrassed, he wipes away the tears that have fallen onto his cheeks. "Everyone does. That includes you, Ally. So, I guess this is us, giving each other a second chance."

She nods, wordlessly. Then, suddenly, she throws herself into his arms, a sob emitting itself from her body. He closes his eyes and wraps his arms around her tightly as they both fall to the floor, holding onto each other for dear life.

* * *

They don't dare to speak about their argument afterward. After crying out all of their bottled up feelings, they let each other go, apologized quietly for breaking down, and then returned to their respective seats.

They sit there in complete silence until finally Austin mumbles, hesitantly, "You still need to pick."

She sighs. "I still have nothing."

He shifts, uncomfortably. They've resolved the problem that has hung over their heads for years, but there's still an awkwardness in the room. Stupid elephant.

He decides to pick what they're going to do because Ally obviously isn't going to suggest anything. He can only hope that damned elephant will retreat soon. Maybe he can chase it away…

His awkwardness fades, and he turns thoughtful. He drums his fingers against his cheek in contemplation. "Well... We could go to Phil's Fun Town," he ventures, cautiously, remembering Ally's bad experience with the rollercoaster last time.

She's just been sitting there, waiting for something to come out of his mouth, and now that it has, she wishes that he had just kept quiet. She wrinkles her nose at the suggestion. "Really? After we rode the Rollercoaster from Hell?"

He laughs at her nickname for it, feeling the tension between them- and the elephant- leave. "Okay, then, maybe not. What about the Mall of Miami?"

She frowns. Of course, she knows that place. Their family store used to be located there until... "And do what? It's just a bunch of stores."

He observes her with a critical eye, an idea forming in his mind. "Do you have a lot of regular outfits?" He asks, bluntly.

She stares at him, flatly. "You're going to need to be a little more specific," she points out in a dry voice.

He rolls his eyes in irritation. "You know," he gestures to her, "how many outfits that _aren't_ fit for grandmas do you have?"

Her cheeks flush scarlet, and she quickly looks away. "...Not many," she admits, sheepishly. "The ones you saw yesterday are actually all that I have." When he gives her a look like 'Really?', she comes to her own defense. "Hey, I'm poor! I don't have enough money to go shopping for 'regular' clothes!"

Rolling his eyes again, he uncrosses his legs then swings them over the edge of his bed, standing up. "Okay, come on. We're going shopping." When she opens her mouth to protest, he cuts her off, saying, "No but's."

She pouts and then follows his lead, also standing. "Fine. Just let me get my bag." She dashes off into her temporary room and grabs her messenger bag, slinging it over her shoulder.

While she's gone, he comes up with a plan to rid them of any tension completely. Oh, this should be fun…

When she comes back to Austin's room, she finds him grinning mischievously. _Uh-oh._ "Last one down is a rotten egg!" He sing-songs, running out the door. Oh, God, did he have to mention eggs?

Still, she sprints after him, whining, "No fair, you got a head start!"

He only laughs, bounding down the stairs with an enviable confidence. She almost slips a couple of times, so by the time she reaches the third floor, her palms are all sweaty.

The still laughing blonde careens around the corner, and she scrambles after him, holding onto her messenger bag with one hand and using the other to swing around the corner.

They rush down another flight of stairs after innumerable walkways, hallways, and balconies. They finally come within sight of the last staircase, and Austin's surprised that Ally was able to keep up with him.

He reaches the bottom first and fist-pumps. "Yes!"

She stumbles to a stop beside him, panting. "No... fair... you... had... a... head... start..."

He shrugs. "You weren't all that far behind me. I'm impressed you even kept up."

She glares at him from her hunched over position, taking one hand off of her knee to wipe the sweat from her brow. "Why... aren't you... out of breath?"

He grins. "Guess I'm just in better shape than you," he teases, booping her nose playfully. She rolls her eyes but still smiles.

"So, what now?" She asks when she catches her breath. He takes her hand and drags her over to the front door of his house.

"Mom, I'm taking Ally out shopping!" He yells. Ally gives him a strange look to which he shrugs.

"Okay!"

Furrowing her eyebrows, she looks up at him. "She didn't find that weird at all?"

He chuckles. "Nah. I can do whatever I want, as long as it doesn't include breaking the law, socializing with who they call 'the extreme underclassmen'- you, obviously, don't count- or using a lot of their money. When considering money, I'll only get in trouble if I exceed my credit line or, like I said, use a lot of their money." He looks her over again. "But I'll probably use my debit card. You seriously need a new wardrobe. You look much better in normal clothes."

She blushes, glancing down at her tank top and shorts. "Thanks. You know, for everything."

He shrugs (again) and then smirks at her. "Hey, what are boyfriends for, right?"

Her blush intensifies.

* * *

"But-"

"I'm rich, so who cares if it's expensive? Wait, we're in a mall with a bunch of stores that aren't, like, used for red carpet events or anything... Which means it won't be all that expensive, you know," he points out as they walk towards the store.

She sighs when he nudges her into a store. "I don't normally go into stores that sell 'regular' clothes..."

He snorts. "No kidding." Then he pushes her towards the girl's section, gently. "Well, go on; take whatever you want."

She turns to him, hesitation in her eyes. "But..."

He takes a deep breath, trying to retain what little patience he has. "Look, Ally, I honestly don't mind. So, come on. I don't want to just stand here all day."

She pauses before giving him a soft smile. "Thank you," she whispers. He's surprised at first but then smiles back.

He thinks that their newfound friendship has taken a step in the right direction.

"No problem."

She smiles up at him before bouncing off to go look at the racks upon racks of clothes.

He takes a seat with a sigh.

This is going to be a long day.

* * *

Any tension between them is long gone as he laughs, watching Ally strike a pose.

As it turns out, he's having more fun than he thought he would. In fact, this is the most fun he's had since... ever.

He got her to agree to model her clothes for him, and he must admit that she has a pretty good sense of style.

Right now, she's wearing a dark blue plaid button-up over a black tank top, light wash jean shorts, blue sneakers with white puffs that look like clouds on them, and a white and blue baseball cap. She's got the cap on backwards and has her arms crossed, resembling a rapper.

"So?" She asks with an amused smile. "What do you think?"

He grins, widely. "I like it, Rapper. You should get it."

She giggles at her new nickname and relaxes her pose, nodding her agreement. "Okay!" She skips back into her dressing room to try on a different outfit.

He bursts out laughing when she runs back out, striking a different pose.

She has her geeky glasses on paired with a grey uniform-like outfit, consisting of a grey blazer, white button-up, black tie, grey, black, and red plaid pleated skirt, knee-high white socks, and black flats with a single strap over the middle. She has her hands on her hips, which jut out on the right side.

"So? Geek chic?" She asks, humorously, letting her hands fall to her sides. He can barely manage a nod due to his laughter.

Suddenly, she runs towards a stand full of glasses and picks out another pair of geeky glasses. Then she disappears inside her stall to grab her phone. She finally plops down next to Austin and slides the glasses onto his face, holding up her phone. "C'mon; do something geeky for me."

He's a bit surprised at the turn of events, but since he's in a good mood, he complies. He sticks his tongue out of the side of his mouth like he's concentrating and narrows his eyes at the camera seriously, grabbing the edge of his glasses like he's going to adjust them.

She sticks her tongue out, going cross-eyed. The phone makes a shutter sound as the picture is snapped.

When she brings her phone back, they both laugh at the picture. For Ally, it's a bit blurry since she's wearing contacts and glasses, but she still gets the general picture.

"Hey, I need your number," Austin suddenly realizes as Ally saves the picture. She glances at him, confused.

"You need my number?"

"Well, don't you think my parents would find it odd that I don't have my girlfriend's phone number?" He points out, taking his phone out from his pocket.

She contemplates that for a moment before agreeing. "Probably." They exchange numbers, and Ally sets the picture they just took as his picture.

As soon as he gets her number in, Austin takes off his geeky glasses and pulls her up, pushing her back towards the dressing room. "Go change back into that rapper's outfit. I want a picture of you with it on."

She lets an amused smile cross her face as she heads back into the dressing room to change. He grabs a baseball cap off of a nearby stand, putting it on before sitting back down.

Shortly after, she comes back out in her rapper's outfit and giggles at his backwards cap. "Are you copying me?" She teases as she sits down next to him, bumping shoulders with him. He grins and bumps her shoulder back, causing her to laugh.

She mimics her pose from earlier, and he points at her while looking at the camera with raised eyebrows, like _Check her out. She's totally a rapper._

He snaps the picture then brings it back for examination, laughing at it before setting it as her picture. "Okay, come on; finish up so that we can go eat. I'm starving," he whines, making her roll her eyes playfully.

"You're such a whiner," she mock-groans. "And a thorn in my side. _You're_ the one who wanted to take me shopping." She arches an eyebrow at him, and honestly, he has no comeback for her statement.

"...Just go," he grumbles, and she chuckles before complying.

* * *

"Eat it!"

"Ew, no!"

"It's just pineapples!"

"On _pizza!"_

The fake couple is having a standoff in a booth located inside a pizza parlor.

Ally is trying to get Austin to eat a slice of pepperoni and pineapple pizza. Austin, being Austin, is refusing because of how 'wrong' it is. His excuse is, "Do pancakes have pickles on them? No? Well, that's how wrong it is!"

Ally, as a pickle-lover, took offense to that and started trying harder than ever.

This whole argument has brought them here, nose-to-nose, staring into each other's eyes, as they try to get the other to agree with them.

"Eat. It."

"No."

"Austin..."

"Ally..."

The brunette rolls her eyes and pokes his forehead in irritation before relaxing back into her seat, sitting back and glaring at him. "It's really good!"

He frowns. "I doubt it."

"You never know until you try, Moon."

"I don't want to try, Dawson."

She blows out a long breath, dropping her head onto the table in defeat. "You suck," she mumbles against the cool surface, lifting her head slightly so that her chin is resting on the table now. "You know that?"

He waves a hand dismissively, a smug smirk settling over his features at his victory. "Yeah, yeah."

She huffs, annoyed. "I'll get you to eat pineapple pizza one day," she promises, solemnly.

He lowers his head, grinning cheekily. "Good luck with that, darling." She groans and goes face down again.

They eventually get around to finishing up their pizza, and Austin ends up paying, despite Ally's protests. They don't have Ally's shopping bags because when Austin wasn't looking, she snuck away to drop off her bags at her house, which must be close since it only took her about fifteen minutes to do it. Understandably, he got a bit freaked out when he couldn't find her and reprimanded her when she got back.

They're on good terms now, and he knows it. Sure, they'll never be able to erase the past because you just can't do that. But, hey, you can try to get past it, can't you? Can't _they _do that? Can't everyone do that?

They walk around the mall for a bit, not really looking for anything in particular. It's about two in the afternoon now, and they're bored as hell.

"Arcade?"

"No."

"Photo booth?"

"We did that yesterday."

"Phil's Fun Town?"

"That depends. Do you want my pizza on your shirt?"

"...A carnival?"

"Rip-offs."

"Jeez, you're hard to please," Austin mutters, exiting the mall. Ally shrugs, following him so closely that they brush shoulders every time they move.

"None of those options sound appealing."

He groans and stops walking, turning so that he can look down at her. "Well, then, what do _you_ suggest?"

A mischievous smile appears on her face as she grabs his hand, pulling him along.

* * *

"Ally, no. No, no, no, no, no."

She pulls the cutest puppy dog face at the horrified blonde. "But it's what I want to do, Austin. Please?" Her bottom lip pushes out in an adorable pout.

He wavers in his position at her pleading face. "Ally..." She presses up against him, widening her eyes more and mouthing, _Pretty please?_

He's a goner.

He tries to seem as irritated as possible with her, but he's not very successful because of her adorableness. "...Fine."

Her eyes light up as she lets out an excited squeal (funny, he's never thought that squealing was cute, but hearing it from her, it seems like it's the cutest thing in the world), and she hugs him tightly. "Thank you!"

He hugs her back because if anything, he deserves a hug for what he's about to do. "Yeah, yeah." She lets go and beams up at him, slipping out of his grasp and running up the steps to a place he truly hates.

The library.

With a heavy sigh, he trudges up the steps into the accursed place and finds his fake girlfriend animatedly talking with the librarian, who is an older lady with greying hair and thick glasses.

At this point, he probably would've cracked a joke about the librarian and Ally being twins, but something holds him back. He isn't sure what, but it does.

Ally glances over at him and smiles widely, beckoning him over. He strolls up to them and grins down at her. "Excited much?"

She bounces on her heels, nodding enthusiastically. "Yeah! Okay, bye, Nora! It was nice talking to you!"

The librarian smiles. "It was nice talking to you too, Ally." The brunette waves before dragging her blonde (boy)friend towards the back.

"You're on a first name basis with the librarian?" He asks, raising a skeptical eyebrow. She blushes and pushes him.

"Oh, shut up," she mumbles, still dragging him along. They walk through a few aisles of books before arriving at a large circular space with bookshelves spread out all around, towering high above their heads. Tables and chairs line the floor, and a few people are sitting there, reading books.

"You're not the only one that comes here?" Austin asks, and to Ally's annoyance, he sounds genuinely shocked. With a soft groan, she lets go of his wrist and starts wandering around.

"I'm not sure what you're going to do, but please don't get in trouble," she says, quietly, because she's not supposed to be talking in the first place. He rolls his eyes but acknowledges her with a nod.

She disappears down one of the aisles, and he walks down one opposite of hers. His eyes scan the old, worn books adorning the shelves, most of them possessing titles that have something to do with animals. Nope.

He tries a different aisle because as much as he loves animals, he has no interest in reading about them. This one is filled with dusty tomes of historical information, so he passes on it and ventures into a rather dark aisle.

To his surprise, Ally is in this aisle, reading the back cover of a book. She turns it around to look at the front then smiles, putting it on the stack of books in her arms.

He peers at the first shelf on the left and blinks.

_Ally's interested in books that have romance, magic, and mythological stuff in them?_

"Are you just going to stand there and stare at a copy of-" Ally breaks off as she checks the book he's staring at- _"The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero_ by Rick Riordan all day?"

He blinks again and shakes his head, glancing down at Ally, who's raising an eyebrow at his behavior. "You like these sorts of books?" He asks, ignoring her question.

She furrows her eyebrows. "Um... Yeah. Why?"

"I mean... You seem like you would be into classics, not books with magic in them."

She shrugs. "I love classics, but I also like these."

He sighs, waving his hand. "Okay, whatever. Are you almost done?" He asks, pointing at her pile of books.

"Almost," she promises. "Give me a second."

She hurries off towards another aisle, and he rolls his eyes, following. Unsurprisingly, they end up in the classic section, and she sorts through until she finds whatever she's looking for before slipping past him and heading for the checkout counter.

Austin taps his foot impatiently behind Ally as she checks out her books while chatting with the librarian. It takes longer than necessary, and by the time they're outside, he's running thin on his patience.

"Can we go now?" He asks, roughly, pointing to the mall parking lot across the street. Ally puts her books into her messenger bag, and he's a bit surprised that they even fit. One of them looked kind of thick.

"Actually, I've got to head home," she says, apologetically. "Sorry, but I need to cook dinner for me and my dad."

He's a bit disappointed that she has to go, but he doesn't even know why. They weren't even supposed to end up hanging out today. "Oh, okay. Well, do you want me to drive you to your house?"

She quickly shakes her head. "No, no, it's alright. It's not too far." She smiles up at him and hugs him, and, though it's still surprising to have her hug him, he hugs her back.

She lets go and waves at him as she leaves. He waves back.

When she's gone, he sighs and looks over at the mall parking lot across the street, where his car should be. He doesn't quite remember where, exactly, he parked, but he knows that he'll find it eventually.

As he trudges back to the mall, he realizes something that shocks him.

For once, he doesn't like being alone.

* * *

**I know the fight and fluffy parts didn't go together, but to make their point again, they're giving each other a second chance. They're trying to move past it.**

**Someone mentioned that I toned down Austin's bullying, and yes, I did. Bullying is awful, and I just couldn't bring myself to go into detail about it. And I sometimes have a hard time picturing him doing something like that, so that's why I did what I did. **


	3. Third Day (Dancing in Troubled Times)

Third Day (Dancing in Troubled Times)

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally or any songs I mention **

* * *

_"What's troubling_

_You're a weary mind, my dear_

_You're struggling_

_At the end of another year_

_Through it all, you know I'll be there still_

_Let your bridges down_

_Even though they're wearing thin_

_Show me how_

_I know I get under your skin_

_Through it all, I know you'll be there still_

_Through it all, you know I'll be there still_

_Through it all,_

_Through it all,_

_Through it all_

_Oh, be there still_

_I'll be there still."_

_-"Through It All" by Josh Auer_

* * *

Around noon the next day, Ally's sitting on her window seat, looking out the window. It's somewhat of a pastime of hers whenever she's bored and has nothing else to do. When all else fails, she'll sit on her window seat, staring out the window and enjoying the warm rays of sunlight streaming in through the glass.

These are some of her favorite moments.

She's slowly falling asleep, the sounds of rustling trees and soft music from her stereo forming a lullaby for her. Her eyes are just about to slip closed when a rather familiar blonde walks into the park across the street from her.

Instantly, her eyes widen, and she quickly readjusts her position to get a better look at him. How did he even find this place? He doesn't live anywhere near here!

Her fake boyfriend himself, Austin Moon, is pacing through the park, noticeably upset. His hands run through his hair several times, and she's afraid that he's going to rip his admittedly silky hair from his head. A backpack is haphazardly hanging off one shoulder and keeps getting jerked around because of his aggravated actions.

Finally, his right hand plunges roughly into his pocket as he grabs his phone, yanking it out with an overflow of force. He punches in a number and then holds the phone up to his ear, still running a hand through his hair.

Her phone rings from the pocket of her shorts. She jumps in surprise at the sound of the song "Bad" by Michael Jackson playing. Maybe she should change that...

She takes it out of her pocket and answers it with a hesitant, "Austin?"

He sighs loudly through the speaker. "Hey, Ally, can you meet at the park on..." He trails off, looking for the street sign.

"Peach Orchard Lane and Ice Falls Street?" Ally finishes for him.

He spots the street signs and furrows his eyebrows, seeing that she's right. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

She unlocks her window and pulls it up, leaning over. "Look behind you."

He turns around, and his jaw drops as he spots Ally waving at him from her window on the ground floor, smiling sheepishly. She beckons him over, and he comes up to her window, still shocked.

He slowly ends the call, and they both pocket their phones. She moves out of the way, silently inviting him in. He climbs through the window and sits on the window seat with her, since it's big enough for two people.

Suddenly, he jolts forward and throws his arms around her, smothering her in a tight hug. She's stunned at first, but then she hugs him back.

She can't help but wonder if this is going to become routine for them (holding each other, that is).

"Sorry," he mumbles into her hair, though he isn't letting go. "I just... I guess I needed a hug."

"It's okay," she whispers, her words muffled by his shoulder. "I needed one too." And it's true; she always feels like she needs someone to hug her and tell her that everything will be alright.

They just stay like that, holding each other, for a long time. Both can't help but think that this is nice. Really nice.

And they could maybe, possibly get used to this.

Eventually, they let go, and Ally blushes, glancing down at her lap. Austin looks away, sheepishly.

She clears her throat, awkwardly. "So, um, what brings you here?" She asks, quietly. There's a silent understanding between them that she's talking about the park, not her house (because he didn't even know that she lives out here).

He turns his head to look at her, grimacing. "My parents."

Her heart drops. "Did you have another fight with them?" She asks, disappointed.

He groans, nodding. "Yeah."

She hates this. She's starting to care, really truly care, about Austin, and she hates the fact that his relationship with his parents is falling apart. She doesn't want his family to fall apart like hers did.

"Austin..." She trails off, suddenly out of words. She can't help him without revealing her past. Like she said before, that would be a very bad idea. Her mouth opens before closing again. "I'm sorry," she finishes, lamely.

He shakes his head, not noticing how strange that was. "It's okay. It's just... Well, my dad, who was actually home, gave me a bunch of bullshit about 'oh, I'm working so much for you' and 'I love you so much.' Bull. Shit. I told him that, and he started yelling about how much-"

"Stop!" Ally breathes, grabbing his hand and squeezing it tightly. "Just... Stop." He stares down at her in confusion. "You and your dad... Austin, you need to work out your differences. _Please._ If not..." She inhales shakily, tears springing to her caramel-colored eyes. "If not for you or him or your mom... Then for me. Please? I-I... I don't want you to end up like me."

A tear slips down her cheek, glistening in the sunlight. He reaches over and gently wipes it away with the rough pad of his thumb. "What do you mean 'end up like me'?" He asks, softly.

She sniffles, glancing out the window. "...Nothing." When he stares at her incredulously, she sighs. "It's really long and complicated. My story... It's for another day. Trust me."

He focuses solely on her for a few minutes and eventually realizes that she's not ready to tell him. Contrary to popular belief, he has a heart, and he knows not to push the subject. So, instead, he reaches out to hug her again. This time, she crawls onto his lap and wraps her arms around him, crying into his shirt. It surprises him at first, but soon, he's holding her, trying to get her to calm down.

"Ally, shh," he whispers, gently. "It's okay. Shh. Hey, it's going to be okay, Alls. Promise."

She wants to tell him no, it's not, so badly, but she can't bring herself to do it. She just keeps sobbing into his shirt.

Slowly, her tears stop until they turn into sniffles. And then the sniffles turn into silence.

"You okay?" He murmurs, and she nods, weakly. He sighs and rests his head on top of hers, rubbing circles on her back.

He racks his brain for something to say, and after a bunch of half-baked ideas and vague snatches of some crazy plans, he comes up with something. As much as he hates the idea, he hates seeing her upset more. (Which, by the way, is pretty surprising, considering how he treated her a few days ago, but he is pretty determined to change her mind about him.)

"I've got an idea," he whispers into her ear.

"Wh-what?" She asks, voice cracking.

"There's a dance tonight that my parents are hosting, which means they want me to go. Why don't you come with me? I can take you dress shopping and everything," he jokes, softly.

She's silent, and he thinks that she's going to say no when she utters a quiet, "Okay."

He blinks. "Okay?"

She detaches herself from him and wipes her wet face with her hand, trying in vain to clear away any evidence of her tears. "Okay."

He grins. "You're sure?"

She smiles, slightly. "Another chance to spend your money? How could I pass that up?" He chuckles, happy that she's feeling better. "Oh, and, um... Sorry about your shirt," she mumbles, embarrassed, drawing his attention to his wet shirt.

He laughs, shaking his head. "It's alright. So, should we... Whoa." He finally notices the interior of her room and to say it shocks him would be an understatement.

Her bed is near the right corner of her room with a nightstand next to it. A closet and dresser line the left wall, and beside her dresser is an upright piano with lyric sheets scattered messily on top and on the desk next to it. Two white bookshelves stand against the wall opposite her bed. An acoustic guitar rests on a stand next to a keyboard by the bookshelves.

The shocking thing about her room, though, is that the walls are covered with pictures. And they're not in frames or anything; they're taped to a large piece of either white or black paper on the wall. The pictures are taped so closely together that you can barely see the paper underneath.

Ally, confused about why he broke off, glances in the direction he's staring and discovers that he's looking at the pictures on her walls. "Oh. Um... I like taking pictures, and with so many of them, I started running out of room for storage and ended up putting some on my walls."

He zeroes in on one particular wall that's plastered with pictures of two adults that must be Ally's parents, sometimes having a little girl between them. He's shocked when he realizes that the radiant girl in the pictures is a happier version of Ally in a miniature form. There's something weird about them, though... And then it hits him. All of them were taken when Ally was younger. But why?

Other than the pictures of her and her family, there are pictures of people around the age she was when the picture was taken. There aren't very many pictures of her alone.

Ally gets up and walks over to the wall he's looking at, tapping a picture of herself and a curly-haired Latina swinging back and forth on a swing set. "That's my best friend Trish," she says with a fond smile. "She always stood up for me." Then she sighs, sadness flickering over her face. "But she moved away a couple years ago."

He stands up and walks over to her as she points to a picture of a younger her and a boy, both of their faces streaked with mud. "This is my old summer camp friend Elliott. We had some good times together, and I hear from him every so often."

Her finger skims a few pictures to a picture of her and a brown-haired teenager, probably taken back in middle school or early high school. "I made a huge mistake going on a date with him," she sighs, resentment lacing through her voice. "His name was Dallas, he was cute, and at the time, I was failing in my judgment of people. He turned out to be a jerk who tried to steal my first kiss."

He raises an eyebrow at her. "And you have a picture of him on your wall?" He meant for it to be sarcastic, but there's a biting edge to his tone.

She frowns and glances at the picture. "Yeah... I know, it's weird, but it's a memory. I like having my memories on my walls."

He lets it go since she's moving on to a different picture. "That's Ethan," she tells him, pointing to another brown-haired boy with a giggle. "I totally scared him off with my weirdness."

"So, they both let you take pictures of them even though they didn't know you?" He asks in confusion, gesturing to the two boys she just told him about.

She considers that for a moment before shrugging. "Yeah, pretty much."

He snorts at that.

She goes on to point out various pictures of herself and her friends (she, apparently, only has Trish and Elliott to talk about, since the pictures are mostly of her and one of those two), explaining what they were doing. He notices that she never points out the pictures of her and her parents.

"I've only seen one picture of you with your dorky gear on," he notes, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. Somewhere behind him, a picture of her in her thick glasses and grandma dress is posted to the wall, completely marring it, in his opinion.

She blushes. "I know. I don't like taking pictures with my 'dorky gear' on." He opens his mouth to retort that maybe she should have stopped wearing dorky stuff, then, but she speaks before he gets out the first word. "So, um, shall we go?"

He makes a mental note to tell her that later. "Yeah, sure. Would your dad be okay with it?"

Her smile falters, causing him to look at her curiously. "Oh, uh, yeah! He's gone for the night, anyway," she quickly explains before biting back a groan. She wasn't supposed to say that.

Confused, he furrows his brows. "Gone where?"

She chews on her lip, nervously. "Umm... He went to... a music convention! Yeah, uh, he still goes to those for some reason."

And it's true. Despite not having their family music store anymore, he still goes to them occasionally. He's just not at one this time.

He casts her an even more confused look. "...Okay. Well, so... Can we..."

Her eyes widen. "Oh, of course! Hang on, let me just..." She trails off as she grabs her messenger bag. "Okay, we can go."

He's still confused, but he walks through her door with her. As soon as he does, though, he regrets it.

Her living room is dimly lit and reeks of alcohol. Bottles of beer are scattered on the floor, and to his disgust, moldy piles of food are also on the floor.

Ally sighs, disappointed that her dad didn't listen to her. "I'm sorry. My dad and his friends must have messed up the living room... again."

"'Messed up'?" He asks in disbelief. "This place is disgusting!" She nods, grimacing.

"I know. Look, let's just go, okay?" She says, pleadingly. She tugs him towards the front door, eyes silently begging for him to not ask any questions.

Reluctantly, he drops the subject and lets her lead him out.

* * *

"Shit! Ally, come on!"

"Stop yelling! I'm coming!"

A petite brunette scrambles after a tall blonde in the Mall of Miami, out-of-breath. He suddenly turns around, ordering, "Get on my back!"

Not even bothering to question it, she makes a wild gesture for him to turn around. "Turn around, then!" He does at the last second, and she jumps onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. He helps her get higher on his back then starts a mad dash for the nearest store selling formal dresses.

He drops her off at some random dress store before running off, calling over his shoulder, "Buy something nice and be fast!"

She groans, muttering, "You could've told me that your parents' party was in two hours when you asked me." As it turns out, his parents' party is sooner than he expected. When he checked the time on their way here, he started using some... colorful language. So they had to sprint all the way here so that they can be on time for the party, which is seeming less and less likely.

She looks around and realizes that this store also sells tuxedos and just so happens to be the only one in the mall that does. It also happens to be the only store that sells formal dresses.

She looks down at her wrist, pretending to check the time on a watch that isn't there. "Three... Two... One..."

Loud footsteps pound through the door as her 'boyfriend' runs past her and towards the men's side. "I forgot that this was the tux store!" He groans as he skids to a stop at a rack, hurriedly sorting through it for a suitable tuxedo.

She muffles her laugh with her hand and goes over to a rack of dresses, searching for a good dress.

The couple takes a while to find something they like, and when Ally comes out to show Austin her dress, she bumps right into him.

He steadies her, and then his eyes widen. "Whoa. You look... Wow."

She blushes. "You look pretty sharp yourself, Moon," she teases, trying to hide her blush.

He's wearing a dark blue button-up, red tie, black jacket, and black pants, and he still has his black high tops on. She's wearing a red strapless dress with a thick black belt and her red sneakers. She did a quick swipe with her lip gloss, so her lips are shimmery now.

They both look half-formal, half-casual, which, surprisingly, looks good on them.

Ally covers her mouth, eyes shining with laughter. "Look at your high tops," she giggles, pointing to his shoes.

He gives her a lopsided grin. "Look at your sneakers," he shoots back, playfully.

They both erupt into laughter, doubling over and clutching their sides from laughing too hard. He wonders how crazy they look right now.

Slowly, their laughter dies down, and Ally smiles, tapping Austin on the shoulder. "So, is it okay if I get this dress?" She smoothes out her plain dress, adjusting her belt.

He grins, giving her a thumbs-up. "Of course. You look really great in that dress."

Her cheeks flush scarlet, and she pushes him in the arm. "Aw, thanks. But, seriously, Austin, you look pretty good in that tuxedo," she says, sincerely.

He pops his imaginary collar, a smug smirk settling on his handsome features. "I know."

She rolls her eyes in exasperation, saying, "You have such a huge ego, Moon." Then she turns around, telling him over her shoulder, "I'm going to go take off the dress."

He nods, going back to the men's dressing rooms to take off the tuxedo, which, by the way, he isn't too fond of wearing. It's way too formal for him. But, hey, if it makes him look good...

After they put their regular clothes back on, they check out and then hit up the nearest bathrooms to change. They meet each other back outside and smile at each other's shoes once again.

"This shoe thing is going to be a great inside joke one day," Austin whispers in her ear as they start walking towards wherever this dance may be.

She giggles. "I'm sure it will be."

"Your messenger bag looks pretty out of place, too," he comments, pointing to her bag that's hanging off of her shoulder.

She rolls her eyes in annoyance. "I know, but I thought that I would've had more time to switch bags." Then she nudges him, pointing to his backpack. "Besides, you have a backpack on."

He glances at the straps of his backpack before shrugging. "I guess that's fair."

They end up having to run the last part of their walk and arrive at a huge hotel that reaches high into the sky. The parking lot is packed with cars, and the valet service is backed up, so it was probably for the best that they walked here. Palm trees wave overhead in the wind, and the sun is just starting to set, which means that the lights are turning on.

"Wow," Ally breathes as Austin leads her inside. "This place is so amazing. I've never been to a hotel like this before." She normally just stays in some dinky little hotel on the rare occasion that she ventures out of town.

He, however, seems unimpressed. "You get used to it," he grunts, taking her through the lobby. They walk down one of the halls, Ally still marveling at the whole building.

Eventually, they end up at a ballroom with one of those security checks at the front doors. Ally has no idea if they're actually called something else and doesn't bother to ask. When they pass the check, they enter through the doors, and she has to remember how to breathe.

The domed ceiling is so high that Ally can't really pinpoint where it ends, and the walls are all painted with fancy pictures of an odd assortment of things; everything from mermaids to cherubs to vines are painted on the walls. The floor is shiny and freshly cleaned with mosaics set into it.

Round tables and square, high-backed chairs are spread around the edges of the room while the middle is reserved for dancing (since, after all, this is a dance). Pushed against the wall and out of the way are several large circular tables that have various foods and drinks on them. To top off the grand appearance, sharply dressed waiters and waitresses bustle back and forth, tending to the guests' every whim.

"Oh my God," Ally whispers, awed. "Do you guys do this a lot?"

Austin shrugs indifferently. "Kind of. It's way too fancy for my taste, but the finger food is pretty damn tasty." As if to prove his point, he snatches a mozzarella stick off of a passing waiter and eats it in two bites.

She nudges him with her shoulder, glaring up at him. "Don't be rude, Austin!"

"Hey, he's the one who passed me!" He retorts. She sighs in irritation before scanning the crowd.

Her eyes land on the few couples out on the floor, and she sighs, again. "I can't dance," she admits, embarrassed, as a blush rises to her cheeks. "At all."

He rolls his eyes, not believing her. "Oh, come on. You can't be _that_ bad."

She eyes him, flatly. "One time, I nearly took out someone's eye."

He winces. "Okay, so _maybe_ we should stick to slow dancing. It's easier, after all." When she opens her mouth to protest, he quickly says, "It's a dance, Ally. You have to, you know, dance!"

She exhales through her nose, annoyance clear on her face. "One dance."

He beams and that makes her feel a tiny bit better about dancing. "Great! But first, we need to get some food. I'm starving."

She rolls her eyes, amused. "How did I know you were going to say that?" She muses as they walk over to one of the tables covered with food.

"I'm a growing boy!" He protests.

She furrows her brow, confused. "Uh, Austin? You're eighteen. You shouldn't be growing too much after this."

He considers that for a moment. Finally, he shrugs, replying, "It was worth a shot." She laughs at that.

People passing them give them and their shoes strange looks, which makes them laugh. In return, they stick their tongues out at the passerbys childishly. Ally feels ridiculous, but Austin seems perfectly at ease, so what the hell, right?

Eventually, she points out that they should find a table. Austin finds one first and drags her over there. He sets down his backpack, which is filled with his clothes, and she sets down her messenger bag, which is filled with her clothes. She idly wonders why the security guards didn't question why they had an extra set of clothes in their bags.

"Shouldn't you be looking for your parents?" She asks, biting into a ranch-dipped fried zucchini.

He scrunches up his nose. "No. I'm still mad at them."

She sighs, frowning. "Then why are we here?"

He blinks. "Because of you," he says, like it's the simplest thing in the world. And to him, it is.

It's her turn to blink. "Me? We're here because of me?" She asks in bewilderment.

He furrows his brow, nodding slowly. "Well, yeah. You were sad earlier, and I wanted to cheer you up. This did cheer you up didn't it?" He looks like an eager puppy as he asks that, and she must admit that he looks very... cute. There, she said it, okay?

She hides her blush by looking down at the napkin resting on her lap. "Yeah, it did." She takes a deep breath before she looks up, smiling at him. "Thanks, Austin. You're really sweet."

He smiles, softly. "And you're really awesome." Her cheeks turn a darker shade of red, and she hopes that the darkness of the room is concealing it for her. (It isn't, but Austin thinks it's adorable so he doesn't tease her about it.)

He's considering stealing a mozzarella stick from her plate since he already ran out when his parents show up out of nowhere, startling him and Ally so much that they nearly fall out of their seats.

"Oh my God! Don't sneak up on us like that!" Austin groans, gripping the table tightly. Ally takes several deep breaths, trying to calm down her racing heart.

Mimi looks at the two of them, apologetically. "I'm so sorry. We didn't mean to scare you two." She shifts her gaze to Austin. "But, honey, your father and I want to talk with you in private, if that's okay with you, Ally." She glances at the brunette, silently pleading with her to say yes.

Ally doesn't notice this, but polite as ever, she quickly nods. "Oh, yes, that's fine with me. I won't mind."

Austin casts her a look that plainly says, _Are you crazy?_ She mouths back, _Go talk to them._

"Thank you, sweetie," Mimi says, gratefully. Then she gestures for Austin to follow her and her husband. Reluctantly, he follows them, but not without glancing back at Ally several times, who keeps giving him a thumbs-up as encouragement.

When they're out of sight, Ally sighs and slumps down in her seat, wondering what to do without him. She absently eats the finger food that's left on her plate, watching the people pass by.

She's startled when someone stops at her table.

"Dawson?" The girl gaps, not quite believing her eyes. She wouldn't have thought that it was her at all if she hadn't been digging through her recognizable messenger bag at that very moment.

She closes her bag and sets it on her lap, staring at the girl. Does she know her? She has jet black hair and vivid green eyes that match her dress.

Then it clicks in her brain. "Oh, hi, Stephanie. What are you doing here?" Stephanie is, or was, one of the more popular people at school. She never played pranks on her or bullied her, though, so she doesn't really mind talking to her.

She blinks, apparently trying to figure why, in fact, she's here. "Oh! I'm here for the dance since my parents are close friends with the hosts. Why are you here?"

She falters, unsure of what to do. Should she lie to her and tell her that someone dragged her along? Or should she tell her that she's here as, basically, Austin's date?

"Um... I... Got invited," she says, then curses at herself internally. That's really all she's got?

She narrows her eyes, suspiciously. "By who?"

A throat clears behind her, and she leans out of her seat to look around her, spotting Austin standing there. She's never been happier to see him.

"By me," he answers, faking a smile as he brushes past her to stand beside Ally. He's never liked Stephanie because, to put it bluntly, she's a slut. Plus, he knows that she has a crush on him (what girl doesn't?), but he doesn't like her (at all). He isn't sure what she's going to do to Ally now that she knows that they're 'dating.'

Stephanie's eyebrows shoot up. "By you?" She asks in disbelief. "But you don't even like her!"

"Look, you can think whatever you want, but I'd like to be alone with my date now," he says, bitterly. Ally gives him a nudge that goes unnoticed by everyone but him, silently telling him, _Be nice._

Stephanie looks like she wants to protest, but when Austin shoots her a dagger-like glare, she hurries off. "I never liked her," he mutters as the intruding girl disappears into the crowd.

Ally sighs, pointing to his seat. "Sit."

He sits down, cautiously. "This doesn't sound too good," he mumbles.

She gives him a pointed look. "That's because it isn't. Now, as much as I appreciate you stepping in and helping me since I didn't know what to tell Stephanie, I think that you could've been nicer about it."

He groans, glaring at her. "She was bothering you! I was just being chivalrous!"

She cracks a smile at the word, rolling her eyes in humored exasperation. "That's very sweet of you, but next time, try not to act so... so..." Then she realizes that she has no idea what he was doing. It was almost like he was being protective of her, even though Stephanie posed no threat to her. "So... Overprotective," she finishes.

He glares at her. "I was not!" He protests even though he was.

She rolls her eyes. "Sure you weren't," she says with a sarcastic smile. He can't help but grin in return. "So, what did your parents want?" She asks, curiously, changing the subject.

He groans, rolling his eyes. "Uh-oh. Did you guys argue again?" She asks, tiredly.

He shakes his head. "No, not really."

She stares at him, bewildered. "Then why are you groaning?"

He heaves a deep sigh, putting his elbows on the table and leaning towards her. "We... We got along."

She brightens up, tilting her head in slight confusion. "But that's good isn't it?"

He chuckles at her adorableness, shaking his head. "I guess. It's just... We ended up talking about you."

Her head tilts a bit more. "Me?"

He nods. "You. Mom really likes you."

She blushes. "Is that not good?"

He quickly shakes his head. "No, that's great! I just... I know you didn't want to do this in the first place, and talking about you with my parents got me thinking. I started wondering what we're going to do when we have to 'break up.' I can't drag this out forever; it wouldn't be fair to you."

She sits in stunned silence. She isn't sure why, but she almost doesn't even want to think about the supposed break up. A couple days ago, she would've been eager to talk about the subject, but now... Now, not so much.

That's when the first seeds of doubt about her feelings towards Austin are planted in the back of her brain. They're definitely friends, yes, but could they be...

She cuts that train of thought off. This is not what she should be thinking about. At all. Besides, they're barely friends; she can't possibly like him!

"So, um," she starts, willing her voice not to shake. "What did you have in mind?"

He almost looks disappointed. "Nothing yet," he replies, quietly. She nods, looking down at the table.

It's uncomfortable as they get their main meal and eat it. They don't really talk, and when they're finished, they just stare at each other.

Finally, Austin breaks the silence. "You promised me a dance."

She smiles, albeit sadly. "I did, didn't I?"

He nods. "Yeah."

She glances at her glass of punch. "Why don't you wait for me on the floor? I'll be right there." He complies but not without first casting her a worried look.

As soon as he's gone, she picks up her glass of punch, raising it slightly. She's been ignoring it for most of the day, but she knows that she has to face it sometime. "Hey, Mom. I miss you. I hope that wherever you are, you're happy." Then she drinks the whole glass in one long sip. She knows that she should feel worse today, but it doesn't hurt as much this year as it did the previous years. It raises her suspicion, but maybe... maybe it's because she has someone who has her back this year.

She gets up, shouldering her messenger bag. She makes her way over to the floor and looks around for Austin.

"Hey, don't tell me you're going to dance with your messenger bag on your shoulder," a voice says behind her, startling her.

She whirls around and finds Austin standing behind her, an eyebrow raised in question. She blushes. "I don't have anywhere safe to put it..."

He takes it from her and passes it to his mom, who happened to be standing near him. "Hold this, please. And don't look inside because that's Ally's bag."

She smiles at the two. "Okay. Have fun dancing," she says, mischievously, before vanishing into the crowd.

Ally gives him a bewildered look to which he shrugs. "I have no idea," he replies, answering her silent question. "Come on; let's dance."

She's thankful that they don't have to wait for a slow song and wraps her arms around his neck. It's difficult since it seems like he's over a foot taller than her. He gently puts his hands on her waist, and they sway along to the song.

"This is slow dancing?" She murmurs sleepily against his chest a couple minutes later. He chuckles.

"Not really. But we're on the dance floor."

They stay like that for at least a few more minutes before he whispers to her, "Are you tired?" She nods, tiredly. "Okay, come on. I'll take you home."

She yawns and nods again. Her mind doesn't really register his parents saying good night to them or putting her messenger bag back on or that he stops by their table to pick up his backpack. It doesn't take notice of the fact that he picks her up and carries her to an apartment complex or him unlocking an apartment and bringing her inside.

It does, however, register the bright light her eyes are, unfortunately, staring up at.

She squints, blinking in confusion. "Where are we?"

He looks down at her in surprise. "You're still awake?"

She nods, looking around. The walls and carpet are both beige, and the room is relatively small. There's a couch against one wall and a TV against the opposite wall with a coffee table and two armchairs in between. A king-sized bed is in the back corner of the room, and a dresser is directly to the right of the front door. An okay-sized kitchen is completely open to the main room with no wall in between, so it looks like someone divided the room at one point and set tile where the carpet should have been.

"We're at my apartment," he says, answering her earlier question. He sets her down on the bed then takes a seat across from her.

She looks over at him in surprise. "You have an apartment?"

He shrugs, tossing his backpack onto the coffee table. "Yeah. I'm eighteen, which means I'm old enough to have one, and I wanted one for those days when I just couldn't stand my parents."

She frowns. Though she understands he needs his space, his parents must not approve of him moving out. Or, well, not moving out per se, but having an apartment just so he could get away from them.

Instead of bringing that up, though, she asks, "Why did you bring me here? I thought that you were going to take me home."

He casts her an apologetic look. "Sorry. But, well, you were so tired, and your house was so far, and your dad seemed fine when you didn't come home the other night, so..." He trails off, uncertainly. "Did you want me to take you home?"

She quickly shakes her head. "No, it's okay. So, did you want me to take the couch or something?"

It's his turn to shake his head. "No, it's alright. I'll take it. You can have my bed."

"Thanks," she smiles. "Where's your bathroom? I want to get out of this dress." He points to his bathroom, and she heads inside to change. She does so quickly and comes back out, putting her messenger bag on the coffee table.

He goes inside to change and comes back out in sweatpants and a t-shirt. "Ready to sleep?" He asks her. She ducks under the covers.

"Okay!" She calls, voice muffled.

He chuckles while turning off the lights, and then he jumps onto the couch, pulling a spare blanket over him. "Good night, Ally," he says, voice still laced with amusement.

"Good night, Austin," she says, popping her head back out for fresh air.

He soon drifts off to sleep, but she stares at the ceiling for a bit longer.

_I love you, Mom. Good night._

Finally, she feels better and falls asleep.

* * *

**I don't particularly like this chapter. I had some writer's block while writing it, so that might be why, but I just don't really like it.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading!**


	4. Fourth Day (Revelations)

**Hi. Um, sorry for not posting on Friday like I usually do. My files have been asses for the past week or so and that's why I haven't been able to post. Sorry again.**

**I know I don't reply to your reviews (which makes me feel _really_ guilty because other writers do it), but I want to say that I appreciate every one of them. Thank you.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally or any branded items. I also don't own any of the songs**

* * *

Fourth Day (Revelations)

_"And I've always lived like this_

_Keeping a comfortable distance_

_And up until now I had sworn to myself that I'm content with loneliness_

_Because none of it was ever worth the risk_

_But you are the only exception_

_You are the only exception_

_You are the only exception_

_You are the only exception." _

_-"The Only Exception" by Paramore_

* * *

She wakes up the next morning to the smell of burnt toast. Blinking in confusion, she sits up and stares into the kitchen, where her now favorite blonde is trying to make a decent breakfast.

She slips on her sneakers and pads into the kitchen, stretching her arms as she walks. "Are you burning innocent slices of bread or is that just my imagination running wild?" She asks as she pokes her head around his arm to see the black pieces of bread he's throwing away.

He jumps at first, but soon glares at her, retorting, "Your imagination."

She laughs, gently nudging him aside. "Why don't I try to make breakfast? I'll make pancakes," she sing-songs, washing her hands.

That seals the deal for him. "Fine," he grumbles, just to be difficult. "Make sure you put a whipped cream smiley face on mine."

She muffles her laugh. "Yeah, okay."

She grabs the ingredients for the pancakes from his fully stocked pantry and refrigerator. "How often do you stay here?" She asks, surprised, checking the expiration date on the milk, which isn't for another few days.

He shrugs, sitting at the dining table just outside of the kitchen. "I dunno. A few times a week?"

"Do you need to get away that often?"

"Not really. But I've gotten fond of this place, so I stay here a lot."

She nods and continues making the pancakes. As he watches her, he suddenly recalls all of the weird moments when she talked about her parents and how she never pointed out the pictures of her and her parents on her wall.

Finally, he can't take it anymore. He has to know.

"Ally?" He asks, gathering the courage to ask her. She hums in response. "What happened to your parents?"

She nearly drops the whisk in her hand.

"Wh-what?"

"You never want to talk about them, and you didn't even point out the pictures of them on your wall yesterday. Why don't you want to talk about them?"

She exhales shakily and slowly makes her way over to him, sitting down in the chair across from him. She considers blocking him again, but she knows that it won't do her any good. He's determined to find out what happened.

So she lets her walls down. "This story is just between you and me, okay? Please?" She asks, desperately.

He nods, quickly, leaning forward in his seat. "Of course."

She takes a deep breath. "It started when I was ten." Even that simple sentence hurts her heart. "I had noticed by then that my parents weren't quite the same. It wasn't very noticeable, and I don't think anyone else but me noticed. My dad's temper was flaring more and more often. My mom was getting more and more distant. _Everything _started falling apart. I stayed in my room almost all day, only coming out for food and school."

She sighs, tears welling up in her eyes. "There was one week in particular that was really bad. Mom and Dad were constantly fighting, and sometimes, I got caught in the crossfire.

"It happened in the afternoon one day. I remember sitting in my room, reading a book, when the shouting escalated to a volume they never used. I crept to my door and cracked it open, watching the scene unfold. Mom slapped Dad across the face, and then... Then she screamed that she hated him and stormed out."

She wipes away some of the tears that have fallen onto her cheeks. "I never saw her again. But I remember Dad ranting on and on about her, and one day, he let it slip that she left him for another man. I was only ten, but I understood. Maybe a bit too well.

"Three months later..." She pauses, throat constricting. More tears fall, splashing onto the table. "We got news. Dad was still married to her, since the divorce wasn't finalized yet, and I was her daughter, so they called us.

"There had been an accident," she says, her voice dropping to a whisper. "My mom and the man she had been having an affair with were both, um... They were both killed." She sniffles. "We were both devastated. Dad, especially. He never told me, but I know he was secretly hoping to win Mom back. He worked really hard at Sonic Boom, our family business, because she wanted money and he thought that he could win her back by having a successful business, but Sonic Boom was already falling apart, and after my mom's death, it completely shut down.

"I fell into a state of depression. Not long before she died, she sought me out to ask if I could forgive her. I remember screaming at her that no, I wouldn't. I would never forgive her. And then..." She feels her chest tighten even more. "And then I told her that I hated her. My mom died thinking that I hated her. And that's also why I believe strongly in forgiving people before it's too late.

"Dad... He was hit hard. First, Mom left, and then she died, and then his business was shut down. He spiraled downward and never stopped. He became an alcoholic and started smoking. What little money we had went down the drain, but Dad didn't care about money anymore. He only cared about it when he needed more alcohol or another pack of cigarettes.

"I worked odd jobs. I cut our neighbors' lawns, I walked dogs, and I even carried groceries for people. I was always tired, hungry, and just basically dead on the inside. This went on from then up until now. I've never had a permanent job, and the only reason we still have our house is because our relatives are kind enough to pay our bills every month."

By now, tears are freely falling from her eyes, and they show no signs of stopping. "I love my dad, but I know that he's never going to continue on in life. He's stuck in that time period, and he always will be.

"I..." She trails off. "I've moved on. My mom would want me to. And my dad... Well, his friends have kind of taken over for me when it comes to caring for him. They make sure he eats and is relatively healthy, minus the alcohol and cigarettes.

"I talked to one of them yesterday, and he told me to move away from my dad because he's just holding me back. I don't know what to do, though. I still love my dad, and if I moved away, I would feel like I'm abandoning him.

"So, um," she wipes at her eyes, trying to get rid of her tears. "That's what happened to my parents." Her voice grows soft as she reaches across the table to hold a stunned Austin's hands. "And that's why I want you to get along with your parents. I basically have no parents or even a parental figure, really. Don't... Don't end up like me."

He can't do anything but stare at her. He can't believe that she had to go through all of that when she was only ten and that she's had to work to support her dad. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?

He blinks before standing up and kneeling in front of her chair. "I'm so sorry, Ally. But just know..." He reaches up and brushes her hair away from her face, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb. "I'll always be there for you."

She vaguely remembers saying something similar the night he brought her over to his house for dinner. Now he's saying it. And she knows that he means it because she can _just tell._

And that one little sentence means the world to her.

She sobs and throws herself into his arms, and he holds her, whispering comforting words into her ear.

She stays in his arms, crying out all of her years of frustration and anger and sadness and regret. No one has ever been able to do this for her, to support her like he does, not even Trish. He just has something that no one else has.

"How are you feeling?" He asks, quietly, as her crying dies down.

She sniffles. "Better."

"I'm not going to leave you, you know," he murmurs, stroking her hair. "Ever. I will never leave."

She takes a shaky breath. "P-promise?"

Honestly, she shouldn't be putting her trust in someone who seemed to hate her only a few days ago, but since they became friends, she's learned things about him that explain why he acted the way he did. He isn't who she thought he was. And she knows that she can trust him- the real him.

So when he softly says, "Promise," she believes him.

They sit there for at least a few more minutes, and you might say they were cuddling (they'll deny it for now). Then Austin nudges her, telling her, "Okay, this is way too sad. Come on; get up."

Ally clings to him, muttering an incoherent protest. He chuckles. "Fine. I'll lift you up, then." And he does, with little to no difficulty. He shakes his head, poking her in the side, which elicits a giggle. "Jeez, how much do you weigh? Fifty pounds?"

She rolls her eyes. "I'm not telling you and no."

He lifts her onto the table before walking over to his coffee table and grabbing his iPod off of it. He scrolls through his playlist until he finds suitable dance music.

Ally jumps when the speakers standing next to the table start playing very loud, very bass-centered music. Austin quickly turns it down and mumbles an embarrassed, "Sorry." She rolls her eyes in response.

"What are you doing?" She sighs, hopping off the table.

He grins, widely. "Funning you up." She raises an eyebrow in question but doesn't have time to verbally ask it since he takes her hands in his and, well, starts dancing with her.

She, being the horrible dancer she is, tries to get out of it by pulling away, but he just pulls her back in.

After a few more seconds of trying to get her to dance, he shrugs, abandoning his previous mission, and yells, excitedly, "Let's make some pancakes!"

She laughs, shaking her head, as she follows the energetic blonde into the kitchen.

He grabs the bowl and starts whisking the batter, but he's going too fast, so some of it spills over.

"Austin!" Ally groans, taking the bowl from his hands. "I'll whisk it, okay? Why don't you go put the pan on the stove?"

"Okay!" He says, cheerily, practically skipping to his cabinets. She can't help but giggle at his actions.

Before he opens the cabinet containing his pots and pans, he half-turns, grinning. "I cheered you up, didn't I?"

She smiles, softly. "Yeah, you did."

He fist-pumps in triumph.

* * *

After breakfast, Ally walks home to shower and change into a fresh pair of clothes. Her dad isn't home as usual, so she cleans up the living room before showering.

Freshly dressed in a pair of short black shorts and a loose white tank top, she decides to spend the day indoors, writing music.

Unfortunately, her fake boyfriend has different ideas.

"Bad" rings through her room, making her miss the keys of her piano, which emits a horrible noise at the mistake. She winces before answering her phone with a, "I thought that you weren't going to call me until later."

Austin laughs on the other end. "I guess you didn't miss me."

She shrugs even though he can't see. "Maybe, maybe not."

He laughs again. "Well, I was just going to invite you over to my house. My parents are out which means we have free reign." She notes that he's moved from his apartment to his house.

She glances at her songbook and piano, regretfully. Then she sighs, replying, "Sure, I'd love to come over." Hopefully she can use his musical instruments while she's over there.

She can practically hear him perk up. "Great! Do you want me to come pick you up?"

She rolls her eyes. "Considering that I still don't know the way to your house, yes, I could use a lift."

"Oh. Right. I'll be right over," he says, sheepishly.

"Okay."

Her phone beeps, signaling the end of the call. She has to resist the urge to roll her eyes at the blonde's forgetfulness.

Ally puts her songbook in her messenger bag and then walks out onto her porch to wait for Austin to come.

He arrives about ten minutes later, and she hops in the passenger seat.

"Ready to have some fun?" Austin asks, mischievously, as he pulls away from her house.

She raises a skeptical eyebrow. "Getting lost in a huge house is fun?"

He laughs. "Not quite what I had mind."

She frowns. "Then what _do_ you have in mind?"

He smirks. "You'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

"Why are we staring at a poster of the Beatles?" Ally asks, looking at Austin from the corner of her eye.

"Don't you mean, 'Why are we staring at a secret passage in my wall'?" He corrects, smugly, as he takes off the poster to reveal a hole in the wall that's shaped like a tunnel.

Her jaw drops. "You have a secret tunnel _in your wall?"_

He smirks, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Yep. Wanna see where it goes?"

She smiles, bouncing on her heels in excitement. "Duh!" She slips out of his grip and jumps into the tunnel, squealing all the way down. He rolls his eyes in amusement, sliding down after her.

He crashes into Ally's legs at the end of the tunnel, and she yelps as she falls onto him. He groans, and she mumbles quick apologies as she gets to her feet. He stands up and glares at her. "You couldn't have moved out of the way?"

She blushes, ducking her head sheepishly. "Sorry. I was looking around."

He glances around his room, which is filled with instruments and a stage. The window is open, letting in the warm summer air. "You like it?"

She smiles, nodding. "Yeah, I do. But I've seen this room before. Isn't it on the second floor?" She pauses, giggling. "That rhymed."

He furrows his brow in confusion. "You have? When?"

"Yeah, I have. When I was looking for you the first time I visited here, I came across this room."

He kind of has an 'aha' moment, and he says, "Ohh."

She grins. "Yeah, 'ohh,'" she mimics.

He shrugs off her teasing and bumps shoulders with her. "So, want to play something?"

She frowns in thought, tapping a finger to her chin. "Well, I was in the middle of writing a song, but..."

He perks up almost instantly. "You write songs?" He asks, excitedly.

She gives him a weird look. "Yeah... Why?"

"That's so cool! I've always wanted to write songs, but I've never been able to. You have to play something for me! Please?" He begs, puppy dog eyes wide.

Her eyes widen, and she quickly shakes her head. "Austin, I don't think-"

"Oh, come on, Ally! You have to!" He whines.

She falters. "Maybe... Maybe later." Her eyes dart to the drumsticks resting on the floor near the drums. "Hey, um... I'm going to borrow your drumsticks, okay?" Without giving him a chance to reply, she picks up his drumsticks and darts off.

He blinks a few times, wondering what the hell just happened. And when he finally realizes what did, he chases after her.

He runs through the halls, searching for Ally, and after a few minutes, a distinct beat hits his ears. He turns around and follows the sound.

Another round of drumming. At least two more beats hit before he finds her drumming in his kitchen on one of the islands. She glances up at him, smiling, before tapping another beat. Though she doesn't play it that often, she loves the drums because her favorite cousin once taught her how to play.

"Damn, girl, you've got _rhythm!"_ He whistles, and she laughs.

"I try," she shrugs, feigning modesty. After, she laughs again, tossing him one of the drumsticks. She signals for him to get ready to drum. "And... Go!"

They start drumming, and surprisingly enough, their beats harmonize into a very catchy rhythm. The empty house is filled with their incessant drumming as they run throughout the whole building, hitting random objects and following the beat in their heads.

(They happen to match each other.)

After passing through all of the floors, Ally bursts through the front door and runs down the walkway, tossing the drumstick onto a nearby chair. She laughs freely as she heads towards an old play structure in the back of the property, probably left over from Austin's time as a kid.

She hops up the stairs and sits at the start of a slide that has three spirals before opening up at the bottom. Squinting into the distance, she can see Austin making his way toward her, shaking his head.

When he reaches the structure, he shakes his head, saying in an amused voice, "Someone's feeling childish."

As a reply, she sticks her tongue out at him.

He laughs. "Definitely feeling childish."

She shrugs before sliding down, giggling as she goes. He catches her at the bottom and twirls her around, eliciting a laugh. "Austin!"

He grins and puts her down. "Ally!" He mimics.

She laughs again, pushing him playfully. "So, what do you want to do now?" She asks as her laughs die down.

He frowns in thought, resting his chin on his fist. She has to stifle a giggle at this. "Um... Hey! I know!" He exclaims, bouncing on his heels like a giddy child. "Since we both didn't celebrate graduating from the hellhole we call high school, why don't we celebrate now?"

She raises an eyebrow at the overzealous boy. "Now? Here?"

He grins, widely. "Sure! We can do it on our own! Come on, it'll be fun!"

She shakes her head, skeptically. "Austin, I don't-"

"Ally," he begins, suddenly serious. "Out of all the things I've dragged you into in the past few days, how many of them have turned out bad?"

She hesitates. The first day turned out to be pretty fun, and so did the second day (true, she lost the pizza argument, but he took her to the library afterwards). The third day was kind of fun too, and while today started off badly, he's quickly making up for it.

"None of them," she replies, sounding frustrated. "Except for maybe the rollercoaster, the pizza thing-"

"You're _still_ hung up on that?"

"-running to a store to buy a dress, and remembering my past. I mean, I probably would have told you eventually, but it's always hard."

"See!" He points out, throwing his arms into the air for added effect. "C'mon, Ally! Have some fun for once!"

Her eyebrow quirks upward. "'For once'?" She repeats, dryly. "Okay, Moon," she agrees in a low voice. "I'll do this party. If, that is, it's only you and me." Something like a challenge is hinted at in her tone, and he feels his adrenaline kicking in.

"Yeah, just you and me," he replies, leaning closer to her. A wicked smirk appears on her face, and he can't help but grin at that.

"Well, then..." She trails off, staring up into his eyes. "I guess I'll see you in about an hour. Hopefully you'll be done by the time I get back." Then she turns around and jogs towards the front gate of the house, figuring that she'll just get her messenger bag later. As she jogs, she takes out her phone and calls a cab company, since she can't exactly hail a cab from here.

He watches her go, hands stuck in his pockets and a sly smirk on his face.

"This is going to be fun."

* * *

She shows up at his house an hour later, appropriately dressed in a white dress and a thick black belt. The only thing out of place are her Chuck Taylors, which she's wearing only because she wanted to make the hour deadline and didn't have enough time to dig her heels out from the closet. But, still, her outfit is relatively appropriate, so she doesn't feel too worried.

(And, of course, it'll just be her and Austin, but it's still a party, so she might as well as try to dress accordingly, right?)

She gets let through the gate and walks up the pathway to his house, playing with her hair nervously. Even if it is only them, she still doesn't like parties.

She knocks on the door when she reaches it, and a few seconds later, Austin answers it. He's wearing a white button-up, ripped jeans, and blue high tops.

His eyes look over her approvingly (yet not in a sleazy way), and she blushes at that. They stop on her shoes, and his lips twitch as he tries to hold in his laugh. "Are you... Are you wearing Chuck Taylors?"

Her blush deepens as she ducks her head in embarrassment. "Uh... Yeah..."

His laughter spills out despite his best efforts to hold it in. "I'm telling you, Ally! One day, this shoe thing is going to be the best inside joke ever!"

She cracks a smile, rolling her eyes as she nods in agreement. "Yeah. Yeah, it will be."

He grins widely at her and wraps an arm around her shoulders, leading her inside.

Her jaw drops almost instantly.

Colored streamers are hung haphazardly in the air, and a banner with the words _D+ Students Do Graduate! _written on it is hanging across the archway of the living room adjoined to the foyer. Multicolored lights in the living room are alternately turning on at random intervals, facing the shiny disco ball hanging in the center of the room.

Instead of complimenting Austin on his great job of decorating, she blurts out the very first thing that comes to her mind. "You're a D+ student?" She asks, sounding thoroughly horrified.

His excited face suddenly turns impossibly annoyed as he slowly turns to face her. "Really? I worked my ass off and _that's_ what you say?"

Her cheeks flush a light strawberry color. "...Sorry. It was just really noticeable."

He rolls his eyes, leading her into the living room. Finger food and cans of soda are scattered throughout the room, and she's genuinely surprised that he was able to cook food. She doesn't mention it, though, because she's afraid of offending him again.

"Your parents are okay with you messing up the living room?" She asks, curiously, glancing at the open floor. She's almost positive that there used to be a circle of couches, armchairs, and a coffee table over there, but the furniture is now nowhere to be seen.

He shrugs. "They're actually in Boston until tomorrow afternoon, so, y'know, I can pretty much do whatever I want."

She rolls her eyes. "Of course you can."

He grins and switches on his list of dance songs and pop music. "I know you can't dance, but still. Wanna dance with me?"

She crosses her arms, eyeing him flatly. "No, not really."

He laughs. "Just one dance. Come on, it'll be fun!" She exhales loudly through her mouth, and he grins, taking that as a yes. He grabs her hands and spins her around, leading her onto the dance floor.

She rolls her eyes but allows him to twirl her around, figuring that one dance couldn't hurt.

And, actually, it doesn't. She doesn't step on his feet or whack him in the eye or trip over her two left feet.

"And you said you couldn't dance," he teases as the slow song ends and a faster one begins.

She smiles, rolling her eyes for what seems like the umpteenth time tonight. "I can't. You just got lucky."

He laughs and gestures to the food. "You hungry?"

She quirks her lips to the side as she examines the food critically. "I don't know... I mean, do I _really_ want to eat food that you cooked?" She asks, dryly.

He rolls his eyes, and she's starting to think that this will be a trend tonight. "I'll have you know that I'm a great cook! Besides, this was frozen."

She snorts. "A great cook, huh? Then why did you spill pancake batter all over your counter this morning?"

"I was excited!" He shoots back, hotly. "And, by the way, I make _excellent_ pancakes!"

She nods mockingly, crossing her arms. "Sure you do," she says in the most skeptical and sarcastic voice she can muster. "And I wasn't perfect on the attendance sheet and on the honor roll for the last four years."

He narrows his eyes at her in annoyance. "Yes, I do."

She shrugs, lips turning upward into a challenging smile. "Well, then, you're going to have to make pancakes for me some day soon."

He grins, holding out his hand. "Sure. I'll even shake on it."

She shakes his hand, smile widening. "Okay, then. Deal?"

"Deal."

He glances at the food again after they're done shaking hands. "You never answered my question," he points out.

She grabs a french fry and pops it into her mouth. "Yeah, I'm hungry," she finally answers, opening a can of diet soda. He scrunches up his nose at that.

"I knew I shouldn't have put diet out," he mutters as she takes a sip. She chuckles, putting down her can of soda.

"By the way," she starts, gesturing to the room, "this is really impressive. Nice job."

He grins because finally, she gave him his compliment.

Maybe hard work does pay off.

* * *

"Hey, Austin, I've been wondering about something," Ally suddenly says as Austin tries to figure out how the hell he's supposed to hang this stupid pony piñata from the ceiling. It looks like it's fifteen feet above his head, and he's seriously starting to consider just hanging this damn thing from the walkway above them. It'd be so much easier, and besides, since when has he cared about doing things the 'proper' way?

"Yeah?" He asks, absently, trying to see if he would be able to reach the railing of the walkway from here.

"Why did your parents always want to set you up with a nerd?" She asks, curiously. "It's been bothering me since you mentioned that."

He blinks, turning towards her slowly. "Why has it been bothering you?"

She frowns. "Well... It just seems weird. I mean, wouldn't they want you to be with a girl that's like you?"

He shakes his head, abandoning the stupid candy-stuffed pony (which is embarrassing in itself, but he couldn't find a different one). "No, actually, they didn't. I asked them about it one time, and they said that it was because I needed someone to balance me out. 'Cause, y'know, I always get bad grades, I'm mostly rebellious, and I'm not nearly as nice to people as I should be. My parents found that nerds had most of the qualities I didn't, so that's why they always set me up with them."

Her eyebrow has been arching higher and higher throughout his whole statement, and now it must be resting at an all-time high. "Really? That's why?"

He nods, sighing. "Yep. Ridiculous, right?"

She nods, slowly. "Yeah... But how do they know that I'm a nerd? I haven't exactly been acting like my normal nerdy self."

He laughs, eyes shining with amusement. "Yeah, I know. But they like you because, even though you aren't a nerd in their eyes, you have all of those qualities they like in a girl, so they approve of our relationship." He doesn't bother using air quotes around the 'r' word, and she wonders why.

The silence between them starts to get awkward, and she coughs to clear it away. "So, um... What now?"

He glances over at the papery abomination. "I don't really feel like setting that smartass up, so how about we give out awards?"

Her gaze snaps over to him suddenly as her eyes widen. "Awards?"

He grins, giving her a thumbs up. "Just four. Come on."

He drags her over to the makeshift stage he set up in the corner and taps the microphone resting in its stand while muttering a low, "Testing one, two, three, four..." He smiles, deeming it ready, and clears his throat while turning the music down from his iPod that was in his pocket.

"Tables and chairs, may I have your attention please?" He requests into the microphone, and she has to stifle her giggles at this. "Okay, okay... You, sir," he says, sternly, pointing to a couch, "stop texting and- okay, there we go." Her muffled giggles get louder, causing his smile to widen.

"Now that I have your attention," he says, shooting a dirty look at the couch he had been reprimanding a few seconds ago, "I would like to first say that high school is a shitty experience and that I pity the freshmen who come in with those excited expressions on their faces."

"Hey, it wasn't that bad," she hisses to him under her breath, even though there isn't an actual audience.

"Wasn't it?" He asks, wryly.

She falters. "...Okay, maybe it was," she admits, looking down.

He snickers. "Well, now that we've got that cleared up..." He focuses on their 'audience' again, but since it's just a bunch of furniture, she doesn't mind the 'attention' at all.

"Secondly, I would like to announce the awards for the night." He sticks his hand in his pocket, looking for something. "Now where'd I put those results..."

She raises an eyebrow at him as he triumphantly pulls out a crumpled piece of paper. "Ha! Thought you could hide from me, huh?" He asks, smugly.

He opens it up and smoothes it out to the best of his ability, scanning over it like doesn't already know what it says. "Oh, wait! There are five awards! And the one I forgot about is..." He trails off, faking a look of horror. "Oh my God... That damned white couch won the student of the year award!" He points to the couch that he had accused of texting while he was talking earlier.

This time, she bursts out laughing. He ends up laughing alongside her, trying not to fall over from laughing too hard.

"Oh... my... God!" She breathes as she finally starts to calm down. "You have the best jokes ever!" At least, right now, to her, he does.

On the inside, they both know this is stupid and cheesy and silly, but they don't care. Because this is their night, and there's no one to stop them.

He pops his collar, trying to look cool, but fails miserably because he's still laughing. "Yeah, I know."

She pushes him because of his vanity, but doesn't bother scolding him like he's just a little kid (close, but not quite) because she knows that she won't get anywhere in that argument.

When they calm down completely, he continues. "Well, since he won, I guess he needs his award..." He reaches over the side of the stage and grabs something, which he then tosses onto the couch. "There."

He turns back to his crumpled piece of paper, muttering, "Damn couch."

She's too busy trying to figure out what he threw to the couch to laugh at his mutter, and when she does figure it out, she blinks owlishly. "Is that... Is that an actual _trophy?"_

He leans toward her, whispering in her ear, "Yeah, but it's my old hockey trophy. Don't tell him."

She has to stifle another round of laughs at that.

"Okay, now that that's out of the way," he says under his breath, checking his crumpled list again. "Let's see... Ah-ha! Okay, the winner for most likely to succeed is..." Ally rolls her eyes, already knowing where this is going to go. "Me! Ha, take that Dad!" He fist-pumps before leaning over and grabbing his award, which is a trophy with a star on it.

"What is that?" She asks, peering at the trophy in his hands.

"My trophy for my second grade talent show," he shrugs, putting it down at his feet.

She, however, is trying to remember that talent show. She and Austin have been going to the same school ever since kindergarten, so she should remember...

Then it comes back to her. He danced for that talent show, and he was so good that he beat a girl that sang, a boy that made some pretty impressive shadow puppets, and a boy that painted a very accurate depiction of a sunflower.

"Oh, I remember that!" She laughs. "You danced."

He grins down at her, slightly surprised. "You really remember that?"

She smiles back at him. "Well, yeah! You were pretty noteworthy, after all."

He grins, proudly. "I was, wasn't I? Well, anyway, time for the next award." He scans his list again. "Okay, and the winner for the most coolest student..." He starts, but she cuts in before he can finish.

"It's only 'for the coolest student' and by the way, that isn't an actual award," Ally points out, dryly, as she tries to take a peek at his list. He jerks it away, smirking at her playfully.

"Ah, ah, ah!" He tuts, wrapping an arm around her playfully. "No peeking. But, as for your earlier statement, it's my award show, so I'll give out whatever awards I want."

She rolls her eyes. This boy...

"So, let's see... Ah, yes, that would be... You."

Her jaw drops. "Me?" She squeaks, eyes wide with disbelief.

He grins, widely, hugging her affectionately. "Yep, you. Here you go." He releases her so that he can reach over and grab her award. He hands it to her, and she examines it, awed.

"Wow..." She breathes. It's a pendant with a blooming gold rose in it. "Where'd you get this?"

He holds his hand out for it, and she gives it to him. He gently brushes her hair out of the way and clasps it around her neck.

"I went down to a store and got it," he shrugs, moving back to stand at her side again.

Her head whips toward him, her eyes wide with shock. "You bought this? Austin, you didn't have to do that!" She protests, thinking that he's already bought her way too much stuff this week.

He almost leans down- almost. He stops himself at the last moment and just smiles at her. "You're worth it."

Her cheeks flush a deep scarlet.

"Okay, then, for the last two awards... Right. King and queen of the school are..." Her eyes widen yet again. "Austin Moon and Ally Dawson!" He grins a grin that rivals the Cheshire cat's and wraps an arm around her shoulders. "Looks like we won, Princess. Or, I guess, Your Highness."

She blushes as he reaches over yet again and places a tiara on her head. He puts his crown on top of his head and smiles down at her. "May I have this dance?" He asks in a medieval accent, stuffing the paper in his pocket and holding out a hand.

She can't help but smile at that. She came to this house picturing it in medieval times, and now the prince of it is asking her to dance while wearing his crown. Ironic, isn't it?

She takes his hand, smiling slightly. "I'd love to," she replies in the same accent. His smile widens as he takes both of her hands and starts dancing with her again.

She looks up at him to find him staring down at her with a soft smile on his face. It's that damned smile that makes her melt on the inside. Her heart starts beating faster, and her breath hitches in her throat at how close they are. They're so close that if they were closer in height, their noses would probably be brushing. His eyes cloud over, and she knows that they're both leaning in...

...And then they get stopped. By an abrupt song change of all things.

She blushes and glances down while he clears his throat awkwardly, looking at anything but her.

She blurts out the first thing that comes to mind. "Sing for me." A second later, she's slapping herself inwardly, silently groaning at how stupid that sounded.

He finally looks at her, brows furrowing in confusion. "Huh?"

Her cheeks turn a darker shade of red. "Um... Never mind."

"No, hang on. Did you say that you want me to sing for you?" He asks, a grin slowly making an appearance on his face. She isn't looking at him, though, so she has no clue that he's enjoying her embarrassment about asking him to sing.

"...Yes," she mumbles, sighing.

His grin gets wider. "Okay, I will."

Her head shoots up so that her wide eyes can see his grinning yet sincere face. "You will?" She asks in disbelief.

He shrugs, still grinning. "Sure. The only problem is that I don't have some karaoke room set up. My parents didn't want to buy me the stuff for it."

She feels a smile creep across her lips. "Well, I can think of one way we can do this..."

He furrows his brow in bewilderment. "How?"

She winks, mischievously. "Grab your guitar, Your Majesty. This princess is going to show you how it's done with ten minutes and no equipment."

* * *

"God, you're crazy," Austin mutters, holding his guitar.

Ally giggles, continuing with setting everything up. Austin's on the stage with his guitar and microphone, waiting for her to finish. She managed to find a projector of some sort and is focusing it on a white canvas that she's hanging from the archway/walkway. The lights are dimmed so that the light can be better projected.

She finally gets everything in place and signals for him to start playing. "What should I play?" He asks, fingers hesitantly plucking the strings on his guitar. She's starting to make him nervous.

"Anything. You play, and I'll draw the lyrics from the tune," she explains, gesturing for him to play again. "I'll write it on the clear sheet of paper on the projector, and you sing along."

He raises an eyebrow at her. "So, this is like an impromptu karaoke performance?" She shrugs, giving him a thumbs up along with a bright grin. "Okay..."

He starts playing an upbeat tune, tapping his foot along to it. She bobs her head up and down, trying to figure out lyrics. Luckily for her, Austin has, surprisingly, a flash of inspiration.

_"Hey Princess, in a white dress, _

_Chuck Taylors got me obsessed _

_Wanna see you, so when can we hang out?_

_Hey Princess, in a contest, _

_You're the queen and you own the rest _

_Someday we're gonna take the crown." _

Ally feels herself blush, knowing that the song's about her. She gets the feeling that he's run out of lyrics and quickly scribbles down the first lyrics that come to mind.

_"Let's go, let go, hold onto me, oh, oh, _

_Let's go, I'ma let you know_

_I'll be the one to storm in the castle_

_We'll be the two of hearts beating faster_

_'Ever you want, 'ever you want_

_I'm down_

_I'll be the one that makes you adore me_

_We'll be the two, the two end of story_

_One that I want, one that I want_

_I found."_

She pauses, and he looks at her, gesturing wildly for more lyrics. The ones she wrote are embarrassing enough... Well, to her, anyway. So he decides to fill in for her, and the lyrics make her blush again.

_"It's your kiss..._

_Hey Princess._

_Hey Princess, be my guest_

_Chase you around_

_No regrets_

_If I catch you, I'll never let you down._

_Let's go, let go, hold onto me, oh, oh, _

_Let's go, I'ma let you know_

_I'll be the one to storm in the castle_

_We'll be the two of hearts beating faster_

_'Ever you want, 'ever you want_

_I'm down_

_I'll be the one that makes you adore me_

_We'll be the two, the two end of story_

_One that I want, one that I want_

_I found._

_It's your kiss_

_Hey Princess_

_What if all the stars aligned?_

_Could I ever make you mine?"_

He winks at her, making her blush.

_"When the movie ends, we could be the ever after_

_You and I_

_I'm just a boy and you're Cinderella _

_Snow White in blue jeans, I'm gonna tell ya_

_'Ever you want, 'ever you want_

_I'm down._

_I'll be the one that makes you adore me_

_We'll be the two, the two end of story_

_One that I want, one that I want_

_I found._

_Let's go, let go, hold onto me, oh, oh, _

_Let's go, I'ma let you know_

_I'll be the one to storm in the castle_

_We'll be the two of hearts beating faster_

_'Ever you want, 'ever you want_

_I'm down_

_I'll be the one that makes you adore me_

_We'll be the two, the two end of story_

_One that I want, one that I want_

_I found._

_It's your kiss_

_Hey Princess."_

He finishes up the song with that stupidly infectious smile aimed at her, and she's almost positive that her cheeks are permanently red. It seems so clichéd to have him sing to her, but he's obviously enjoying it, and she has to admit that the song is good. (And that's besides the chorus, which was the part she wrote.)

After he's done, she switches off the projector and turns up the lights while he puts down his guitar and excitedly runs up to her. "I wrote a song! Well, everything except the chorus... But I wrote it!" He exclaims, wrapping her up in a huge hug that lifts her off her feet.

She wheezes from the tightness of his hug and barely manages a, "You're cutting off my air supply."

He quickly puts her down, hand flying up to his neck sheepishly as soon as she's back on her own feet. "Sorry," he mumbles, embarrassed.

After she catches her breath, she smiles reassuringly at him. "It's okay. You were just excited." Then her smile broadens as she pushes her embarrassment aside to be excited for her friend. "That song was really good! And you said that you couldn't write songs," she teases, nudging him lightly, which makes him laugh.

"I thought I couldn't!" He argues, still laughing. "I guess I can. Who knew?"

She smiles at him. "Don't doubt your instinctual music skills. Lyrics seem hard to come by, but when you have inspiration, it flows like a river after a storm."

He tilts his head, looking down at her. "How are you so wise for an eighteen-year old?"

Her smile flickers between happy and just a touch of sadness. "Um... I kind of just grew up fast. Plus, my mom was really smart."

"Oh. Well, uh, sorry for bringing it up."

She shakes her head. "It's alright. I'm fine with talking about that," she says, and it's the truth. It doesn't hurt as much to think about the good memories.

She sits on the stage, and he takes a seat next to her, appearing to be deep in thought. After a few minutes of silence, she nudges him with her shoulder, drawing his attention to her. "Penny for your thoughts?"

He gives her an absent smile. "I was thinking..." He trails off.

When he doesn't continue, she slowly ventures, "About...?"

He seems to shake himself out of his daze. "Oh, well... Your dad's friend told you to move out right?"

She immediately turns wary. "Yes... Why?"

He runs a hand through his hair, and if she's interpreting this right, he's nervous. What could he be nervous about? "And you're not going to college?"

She purses her lips. "I wanted to go, but no, I won't be going to college. We don't have enough money, and I didn't want to apply for a scholarship because I was too afraid of getting rejected."

He loses focus on his goal for a second when he hears her say that. "That's ridiculous!" He exclaims, catching her off-guard. "You're like the smartest person in our school; if someone rejected you, they'd be the stupidest person ever!"

She blinks at his fierce defense of her. "Austin? Austin, it's okay. I mean, I'm alright with not going to college," she says, softly, putting a gentle hand on his arm to comfort him. "Besides, who knows? I might apply later. Maybe I'll be accepted."

He exhales through his mouth, loudly. "Yeah, you probably will." As he tries to think of a way to get back on track, he realizes that he just made the perfect opening. "But you'll need to go to a college near here."

She turns to look at him, confused. "Why? I mean, yes, I'll probably miss hanging out with you since we're- we're friends, right?" She suddenly asks, breaking off her original course of speech.

"Well, of course," he replies, slightly surprised. "What makes you think otherwise?"

She shakes her head. "Nothing. I just wanted to make sure. Anyway, yes, I'll miss hanging out with you, but does that really mean that I can't go to a college far away? Wasn't this idea partly based on getting away from my house?" She says, careful not to mention her father. It doesn't matter that he isn't really her father anymore; it just wouldn't feel right to say that she wants, or needs, to get away from her father.

He feels a sneaky grin spread across his face. "Well, yeah, it was. But I think you should pick a college close to my apartment."

An eyebrow lifts. "Oh? Why?"

His grin widens. "Because you'll be living there."

Her other eyebrow shoots up, joining the first one. "I'll be what?" She asks in disbelief, eyes wide.

"Living there. I'm asking you to move in with me," he says, plain and simple. It's like he's asking her for a lump of sugar for his coffee, not asking her to move in with him.

She blinks rapidly, trying to comprehend how they came to this. For the love of pickles, they're not even a real couple! "But-but... But we're not even dating!"

He shrugs. "So? We're friends, you need a place to stay, I would be totally fine with you moving in... So, what do you say? Will you move in?"

Her mouth opens then closes. "What about when we 'break-up'? What then?" She asks, desperately, grasping for straws. She doesn't know if she can handle living with him; after almost kissing tonight, she isn't sure where she stands with him or what her feelings toward him are.

He frowns. "We can deal with that later! You want to move out of your house, don't you?" She nods, reluctantly. "Then move into my place!"

She sighs, propping her elbow on her knee then placing her cheek in her palm. "Austin, there would be a lot of complications-"

Within a nanosecond, he has her face in his hands, and he's staring at her intently. "Like. What?"

Her breath hitches. She's face-to-face and nose-to-nose with Austin Moon again. "I-I... I d-don't know..."

He releases a low breath, still staring into her eyes. She has to say yes… She _has_ to.

She exhales, slowly reaching up and putting her smaller hands on his. "Okay," she murmurs, releasing his hands and suddenly scooting over to hug him. He lets go of her face and instinctively wraps his arms around her. He's gotten used to holding her in the last few days, so by now, it feels natural to do it.

"Okay?" He asks, feeling a huge grin spread across his face.

She giggles at the excitement in his voice. "Okay."

He hugs her tighter. "Good. We'll get you away from that hellhole as soon as possible." There's a lot of bitterness in his tone, and she realizes just how protective of her he is. He doesn't need to be, but he is.

And it makes her feel nice and warm inside.

"Like when?" She yawns, leaning her head on his chest. She could fall asleep right here...

"Now."

Her eyebrows furrow in confusion, her thoughts bogged down by her weary mind. "Now?"

He nods, scooping her up in his arms easily. "Now. Come on, Alls; we've got things to do."

She wriggles around, trying to find a comfortable position. "Okay..." She mumbles, tiredly. "Wake me up when we get there." He chuckles, amused by her low tolerance for staying up late. As he walks out of the house, though, he hears the old clock in the living room chime.

Midnight.

He chuckles. Yeah, well, the beautiful girl didn't run out on him, did she?

No, she's staying right here, in his arms.


	5. Fifth Day (You're Mine, and I'm Yours)

**And here's the last chapter.**

**I'm hoping that this is a satisfying end to the story for you guys and that it doesn't suck. Personally, I like it, but I'm a little biased...**

**To the guest that asked what song was featured in the last chapter, that was "Hey Princess" by Allstar Weekend.**

* * *

Fifth Day (You're Mine, and I'm Yours)

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally or any of the songs I use**

* * *

_"Hold on, make it last_

_Hold on, never turn back_

_You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter_

_You are the best thing that's ever been mine_

_Do you believe it?_

_We're gonna make it now_

_I can see it_

_I can see it now." _

_-"Mine" by Taylor Swift_

* * *

She rolls her eyes. "Austin, please."

He laughs, putting down the old picture of her with her braces and glasses on. He notices that she doesn't have all that many pictures of her alone, but he knows her well enough to know why. She thinks it's vain to have pictures of yourself plastered on your walls.

But, really, he would have appreciated more pictures of her beautiful self doing normal things. Then, that way, he could steal some of the better (though, they would all be good) ones from her.

He takes down a few more pictures, putting them into a box she designated for the pictures on this wall. "You know, for a nerd, you have a lot of friends," he notes.

She bats him, playfully. "Oh, shut up. I do not."

He glances back at her. "I've counted, like, five."

Her smile turns dry as soon as he says that. "Really? You're really going to go there, Moon?"

He smirks. "I am, Dawson." Then he returns to packing up her pictures.

She rolls her eyes before continuing to pack her clothes. She's had to put her old clothes in a bag to donate to a shelter, and she also has a lot of new clothes to pack thanks to Austin, so she's been doing this for awhile.

The only thing she's really worried about is where she'll be sleeping. Austin is denying her pleas to bring her bed, so she has no idea where she'll be sleeping. But, hopefully, they won't have to, ahem, share the bed... She coughs. Oh, God, that's awkward.

"Wonder what your parents will think," she says, absently, as she tapes a box full of her clothes. Okay, almost done...

He pauses for just a moment. "They can think whatever they want," he says, resuming his task. "You're moving in, and if they have a problem with that, they should just-"

She clears her throat, shooting a warning glance over at him. She knows how that sentence is going to end, and it's not nice. "Austin..."

"Ally..."

They both laugh, remembering that day in the pizza shop. "Yeah, yeah, I know," he chuckles, dropping the subject. She smiles, feeling triumphant. It's not often that she wins an argument against him.

It's about four in the morning by now, and her dad is nowhere to be seen, which is good, since he's trying to sneak her out. She's changed into a t-shirt and shorts since the dress was getting uncomfortable, and she seems fully awake now. Guess what he said about her not being able to tolerate staying up late was wrong.

She finishes packing up her clothes and starts digging out her boxes upon boxes of photos. She stacks the smaller ones on top of the larger ones until she comes across the smallest of them all, marked by a single crudely drawn butterfly. She smiles fondly and opens it up, taking out the wrinkled black and white photos she took with an old Polaroid camera back when she was a little five-year old girl with pigtails and the widest smile you would ever see.

The photos are clear for photos taken by a hyper girl. They're mostly of the simpler things in life, like trees and flowers, with the occasional house or animal. A couple are of her parents or even her, and these are the ones she treasures the most.

She plants a gentle kiss on one of all three of them smiling before putting the small stack back into the box. She puts it on top of another box, and then walks over to her closet to dig out her old junk.

Austin's absolutely absorbed in taking the pictures off of her walls, so he doesn't even see the doll coming.

An old Barbie doll nails him right in the head, and as he yelps, he can hear muffled laughter coming from the thrower of the doll. "Sorry."

He glares at her before picking up the plastic doll. "Did you actually play with this?" He snorts, incredulously. To him, the whole franchise seems utterly ridiculous, but maybe that's because a little girl once told him that he could be Barbie's husband. Uh-huh, yeah, no.

She shakes her head. "No, I didn't. The only reason why I had one was because I got it for free as a toy in one of my little kiddie meals."

He chuckles, tossing it in the pile that she's going to throw away. "You need to get rid of it."

She shrugs. "I agree. I had no idea that I still had it."

He laughs, turning back to the wall. This is the last one he needs to take the pictures off of, and by now, he's really tired of peeling the pictures off of her walls. Seriously, how many pictures does she have?

After she's done stacking up the boxes filled with her pictures (she counted two big boxes, three small boxes, and one tiny box that only fit about five pictures, which were all of her and her friend Trish), she finishes cleaning out her closet. She then moves on to packing up her many books that she owns while being careful to set aside her library books.

They debate about taking her piano, and he decides to just drop it off at his parents' house. He lets her bring her keyboard and guitar, and when she freaks out when she realizes that she left her songbook at his parents' house, he tells her he'll get it when he takes her piano over.

After they have everything packed up, they start driving back and forth between her house and his apartment (with one stop at his parents' house to drop off her piano and grab her songbook, which she hugged tightly). She can only manage one box at a time, while he can manage two big boxes. She laughs when he shifts them to one arm to flex his muscles at her (when they stopped at his parents' house, he changed into a t-shirt and a different pair of jeans), but panics when he almost drops the boxes. When he recovers, he flashes her a sheepish smile before hurrying along.

At seven in the morning (they're fast workers), they're sprawled out on the floor of his, or, rather, _their,_ apartment, eyes closed in exhaustion. Her boxes surround them on all sides, and as Ally slowly looks around, she mutters, "I think that I'm going to need more than that one drawer you promised me." And he did indeed promise her one drawer of his own storing space because he could spare one for his favorite girl.

Austin laughs in agreement.

* * *

She agrees to leave most of her precious pictures at his parents' guarded storage warehouse. When he comes back from dropping them off, he finds her finishing the job of putting her clothes into her dresser. "I put some of my old knicknacks and thingamabobs in that drawer you gave me," she says, absently, pointing in the general direction of his dresser. "Oh, and some of the pictures I kept."

Curious, he peeks into her drawer. Pictures of her and her curly-haired friend are in there, along with one of her whole family together and all of the pictures they've taken together so far. Those are the only unframed ones she kept here. Other than that, a beat up pair of headphones, a few rubber bands, her dorky glasses, what looks to be a crumpled report on wolves, and a few other things are crammed in there, filling up the space.

"Why did you have to do a report on wolves, and why did you keep it?" He asks, craning his neck to try and read the paper.

She shrugs, putting a framed picture of her and Trish, one of her and her parents, and one of her and Austin on top of her dresser. The one of her and Austin is the one of them sitting on that old dirty couch in the middle of nowhere. She smiles at the picture before turning around to answer him. "I like wolves," she says, simply.

He feels a smirk pull at his lips. "So you like me, then?" He asks, cockily. She rolls her eyes, knowing exactly what he's talking about.

"Well, Mr. Lone Wolf, I don't know," she says, wryly. "I meant real wolves, who howl and prowl."

He considers that for a moment. Then, suddenly, he throws his head back and howls, imitating a wolf, winking at his new roommate, whose hand flies up to her mouth in an attempt to muffle her laughs.

"Austin!" Ally giggles, coming up to him so that she can swat him playfully. "That's cute, but not what I was looking for." He grins down at her.

"You sure?" He asks, mock-hurt. "Because I worked really hard on my howl." She laughs at him because, if she's being honest here, he's cute. She likes the way he strives to please her (secretly, of course), though she won't accept it (most of the time). But, yes, he is quite adorable (and cute), in his own..._ special_ way.

He smiles down at her, thoughtfully. "I've never seen _you_ do something silly. Or rebellious." Then his smile widens as he gets one of those crazy ideas of his. "I dare you to jump in the lake near here, fully clothed."

Her eyes widen, and her jaw drops in shock. "Are you crazy?" She asks in disbelief. "Jump in a _lake?"_

"Yeah! It's totally stupid! It's perfect! If you do this, then you'll prove to me that you're not the deadbeat nerd you presented yourself to be!" He exclaims, like it's the best plan he's ever come up with (and, to him, it is).

Her eyes flare with that familiar fire. When he _really_ pisses her off, she gets this stone hard, fiery look in her eyes. He used to see it when he teased her in school, but she never acted upon that feeling. She would just take it without so much as a retort to defend herself.

"Why do I need to prove myself to you?" She fires back, a complete opposite of her previous nerdy self. "Haven't I already?"

He might have been offended if he didn't already have another plan. "No, you have. You just haven't proven that you're reckless enough to jump in a lake."

She frowns, disapprovingly. "Austin..."

"Ally..."

She rolls her eyes in exasperation. "Fine! Fine, I will _prove_ to you that I can be rebellious! Where's the lake?"

He grins, triumphantly. "C'mon. I'll show you."

* * *

"And you're _absolutely_ sure about this?"

He groans, rolling his eyes for the umpteenth time. "Ally! Would you _please_ just trust me?"

She looks up at him, her wide doe eyes filled with fear. "I trust you. I just don't... I've always been careful."

He gently takes her hand, intertwining their fingers. He brings their hands up to his lips and kisses her fingers while looking into her eyes. She blushes. "Hey. You'll be fine. You trust me, right?" She nods, slowly. "Then trust me when I say that you'll be fine."

She pauses before hugging him tightly. She breaks away after a second, rips her hand free, and sprints for the glittering blue lake. As soon as her feet leave the dock, she squeals. There's a huge splash when she cannonballs into the lake.

He runs over to the edge of the dock and peers into the water. The glare blocks his vision for the most part, though, so he can't see her.

Suddenly, her head resurfaces, and she gasps for breath, shaking the water out of her hair. He grins before jumping in beside her, making her scream. "Austin!" She cries, still trying to clear her vision. Luckily for her, her contacts haven't slipped out... yet.

He grabs her from underwater, making her scream again. He pops up next to her, arm still wrapped around her waist. He laughs, swiping the water out of his eyes with his other hand. "See? Was that so bad?"

She finally manages to clear her vision and looks at him. His hair is flat against his head and dripping wet, but somehow, he still looks good. Dammit, that's infuriating. "I guess not," she admits, reluctantly.

He beams. "I told you so! Now, let's get out of here. I heard rumors that the Loch Ness Monster lives here."

She opens her mouth to tell him that that's just a myth, but when she sees that he's already getting out, decides against it. Besides, she doesn't see the point in trying to convince him that it's a myth when he already seems so convinced that it's real. Sometimes, she wonders about his intelligence...

He helps her out of the water, lifting her with ease. She rolls her eyes when he flexes his muscles at her for the second time that day.

As they start to walk around the lake, she's suddenly glad for the Miami sun. It's really hot out now, even though it's not even noon yet, so she should dry off pretty quickly.

Austin hesitantly wraps his arm around her. She doesn't seem surprised at all; she just smiles up at him before snuggling into his side. He smiles too because he was afraid of her reaction. He's not blind; he's noticed the shift in their relationship and in his feelings. He was afraid that putting his arm around her would be pushing it.

They walk around the lake, getting to know each other better. After all, they've only been friends for a few days, even though it feels like it's been forever.

Around noon, after they're dried off, he drives them back to their apartment (seems weird to call it 'their'). She makes them sandwiches for lunch, and while she makes them, he sits by and chatters on and on about some video game that she didn't catch the name of. At one point, he glances at her as she puts the cheese on the sandwiches.

"Swiss cheese doesn't actually come from Switzerland, does it?"

She rolls her eyes.

She sighs, setting his plate in front of him. "Your Highness," she says, dryly. Her eyes flick over to their attractive headgear from last night resting on the coffee table before focusing on him again.

He grins toothily at her. "Thanks, Princess." She laughs, sitting down across from him.

They eat while resuming their conversation from earlier. They learn more things about each other, and they're both surprised by some of the things coming out of their roommate's mouth and even theirs. Austin learns that Ally doesn't really like performing on stage because of all of the attention, and Ally learns that Austin used to want to be an overnight internet sensation.

"What happened?" They ask at the exact same moment. They stare at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"Okay!" Austin laughs, pointing to Ally. "You first!"

"No!" She giggles. "You first!"

He shakes his head, and they argue playfully for a couple more minutes before Ally falls victim to his stubborness and agrees to go first. He fist-pumps triumphantly and then gestures for her to tell him.

Whilst rolling her eyes, she starts. "Well, when I was around fourteen, I was going to try out for this prestigious music school in New York. They had sent a scout down to a music store here and were holding auditions. After I saw how the scout treated the girl before me, which was terrible considering the fact that she was really good, I freaked out. He told me this could make or break my music career and not to blow it. Of course, that just added to my nervousness. I ended up embarrassing myself in front of everyone because I had this hallucination that the piano's keys were actually teeth that would chomp my fingers off. Unfortunately, there are no do-overs, unless I try to reapply or something. But after what happened last time," she sighs, "I won't be auditioning anytime soon."

He blinks, shocked. Did that really happen? "Oh, wow... I'm really sorry, Ally. If it helps, I'm sure you would have made it in," he offers.

She rolls her eyes a bit, giving him a wry smile. "Thanks, but you've never heard me play. How would you know that?"

He doesn't even falter; he just grins, saying, "Because you rock at everything you do."

She feels a blush coming on, so she ducks her head in embarrassment. "...Thanks," she mumbles.

His grin widens, and secretly, he's pleased. "So, my turn?" He asks, lifting her chin. She rolls her eyes a bit at his actions before nodding and taking her chin off of his two fingers. "Well, it's simple, really. When I was a kid, I had always dreamed of being a rockstar. I loved music, and I still do, but my parents want me to-" here, he groans "-go into business with them. So, basically, I won't ever get my dream."

She frowns, reaching across the table to take one of his hands. He sighs, curling his fingers around hers. "Hey, you never know," she shrugs. "Maybe you'll still be able to be a rockstar. Just not yet."

He manages a smile for her. "Yeah, maybe."

She squeezes his hand, affectionately, while flashing him a brilliant smile. "Don't give up on your dreams, okay? Even though I'm too afraid to pursue my dreams, I never give up on them. You shouldn't either."

He seems to consider the words before smiling. "Okay, Alls. I won't."

"Good."

* * *

"Well, smash it in!"

"What? No!"

"The damned thing doesn't fit! You gotta make it!"

"I'm not smashing it!"

"Fine, then I will!"

"Hey!"

She latches onto his arms and quickly backtracks, trying to drag him with her. He struggles against her, but because she's determined, she's surprisingly strong.

"Ally!"

"I'm not letting you!" She whines, tugging harder. He gives a strong jerk, and she yelps, falling onto her backside. "Ow!"

He whips around, eyes wide. "Shit, are you okay?" He panics, quite obviously freaking out. She mutters a curse as he drops down beside her, and she shoots him a glare when he peers at her worriedly.

"Yeah, fine," she grinds out through gritted teeth. She starts to get up on her own, but he insists on helping her up the rest of the way. "Okay, okay!" She shakes him off, still a little irritated. "Will you agree with me now?"

He looks her over again, making sure she's okay, before sighing and nodding. "Fine. But how are we going to fit that thing in there?" He slips his hand into hers as an apology while giving her his infamous puppy dog eyes. She sighs, eyeing him flatly.

"Okay. You're forgiven," she mutters, reluctantly. He beams at her, and she gives him a small smile in return. "And we'll just..." She trails off, glancing over at the object that dragged them into this ridiculous argument in the first place.

A simple book.

It's a paperback copy of an old classic, and he wants to crush its fragile pages to make it fit. She, however, is against hitting her book (which wouldn't work anyway), so she's trying to stop him.

The book is supposed to go in the drawer he gave her, but it doesn't quite fit, which is why he's trying to stuff it in.

With a sigh, she takes the book out and places it back into one of her boxes of books. He wouldn't let her bring her bookshelves (said something about them not belonging in an apartment like his), so now they have to find a place to cram her books.

"What if we just left the books in their boxes for now?" She suggests, looking up at him. He shrugs in response.

"Sure. Just put them over there or something," he says, waving a dismissive hand towards a corner of his room. She drags one box over with some difficultly, and he brings the other.

"What now?" She asks, curiously. Her books were the last things that needed to be put away, and since that didn't happen, they're, apparently, done. It's around seven in the evening now, and they're both running low on energy, so she's hoping that he doesn't have anymore crazy ideas today.

His golden brown eyes narrow in thought as he thinks of something for them to do. While he's doing that, she plops onto his bed, leaning back on her elbows.

He crosses his arms, still thinking. What _can_ they do? For once, he's out of good ideas for things to do. "Well..." He begins, voice hesitant, "we could..." He groans, annoyance flickering across his face. "I actually have no idea what to do. Got any suggestions?"

She sighs, eyes filling with boredom. She shakes her head, semi-sadly. "No." Ah, just great. They're both out of ideas. What now?

His gaze shifts to the pictures in his room. There are the ones she brought, and the ones he already had, which were all mostly of him and his parents with the occasional picture of him and a friend. He stops on a picture of Ally and him sitting on that dirty old couch. He smiles at it before looking over more of the pictures. His eyes freeze and then hone in on a certain strip of pictures of them in a photo booth.

And then he gets an idea.

"I've got it!" He exclaims triumphantly, grinning widely. She jumps in surprise, staring at him like he's crazy. He darts forward and grabs her hand before dragging her off towards the door. "Come on!"

She makes small noises of protest as he pulls her along, but he ignores her. His mind is too focused on getting them to a place she doesn't seem too fond of.

* * *

_Back to where it started._

These are the words echoing in his mind as he smiles widely, looking back at a laughing Ally. Her curls are flying free in the wind generated by them running, and her caramel brown eyes are bright with happiness.

No one could deny that she's absolutely beautiful.

So, maybe this isn't where it _started,_ per se. It actually started back in the park, but he considers this place to be the spot where he truly started to notice her. She stopped being the nerd who he picked to be his fake girlfriend (in retrospect, it wasn't his best idea, but he's glad he had that idea because he got something good out of it- and he's not talking about getting his mom and dad to stop setting him up with girls he couldn't care less about), and started being a beautiful girl who was gracious enough to forgive him, trusting enough to trust _him_ (she shouldn't have; he doesn't deserve it), and kind enough to be a real and good friend to him, of all people. He's never had many of those, and he would never have expected her to be one of them. He used to always tease her in school, and he still can't believe that she let him in after all that.

She ducks under his arm, and he likes the way she fits into him. She looks up, flashing her pearly whites at him. He gives her his most charming smile in return, and she blushes, shyly nudging him with her shoulder, which makes him chuckle.

He's a lucky guy to have her.

Yet, at the same time, he doesn't really _have_ her. To him, it's just the tiniest bit disappointing, but he tries to not let it get to him.

They arrive at the empty photo booth they took those pictures in four days ago. With only a secretive smile exchanged between them, they slip into the booth.

They do two strips this time, and because it's them, it's almost guaranteed that they'll turn out humorously weird.

And they do.

The first strip is moderately silly. The first picture is of Austin and Ally sticking their tongues out at each other, and the second is of Ally rolling her eyes at Austin as he rubs the back of his head, which had just been banged against the wall of the booth. The third one is a bit confusing, considering the fact that Austin is on his back on the floor and Ally is pointing at him while laughing. The fourth one is of him getting payback at her by smothering her in a tight hug. The last one is of Ally patting Austin's shoulder sympathetically as he pouts.

For the second strip's first picture, Ally is laughing while trying to dodge Austin's tickling hands. "Haven't we done this before?" She laughs, ducking.

He shrugs, still pursuing her. "Who cares?" Then he dives for her again.

The second one is of Ally somehow getting the upper hand and sitting on a rather surprised Austin's back.

"Okay, okay, truce!" Ally pleads, having trouble dodging him. He complies, wrapping an arm around her shoulder while smiling innocently at the camera.

The third one is all innocent smiles, wrapped arms, and flushed cheeks.

Austin looks down at Ally, breathing in her sweet scent of strawberries. She looks up at him, noting the way his eyes seem to have shining golden flecks in them. He observes her flushed face from him chasing her, and he knows that he must look similar.

The fourth one is of them staring at each other.

They search each other's faces for some sort of permission. She nods almost imperceptibly, telling him that it's okay. She knows what the risks are, and she's okay with the fact that there are risks.

It's rebellious of her to do this and that's okay. She proved to him that she can be rebellious, didn't she?

As she nods, he feels a rush of relief, calming his racing heart just a bit. He has to stop himself from smiling like an idiot.

He slowly leans down, and as he does, there's only one thing running through his mind.

_This one I'll try not to hurt. _

That's a promise.

The fifth picture is of Ally's arms wrapped around his neck, and his arms wrapped around her waist as their lips finally connect.

Have you ever touched a piece of metal and gotten shocked? Imagine that feeling, but times it by a thousand. That's how Ally feels as she melts into the kiss and into him. It feels like high voltage electricity is running through her but that's okay; it's a good feeling.

Their lips are moving in perfect sync, and at some point, she ends up on his lap with her fingers entangled in his hair. She can't remember how she got here, but she never wants to leave.

Finally, they pull away for air. Ally looks into his warm brown eyes and smiles when she sees the sincerity in them. He winks at her, playfully.

"Been wanting to do that for a while," he whispers into her ear, making her shiver.

"Then why didn't you?" She murmurs.

He shrugs. "I guess I was afraid of chasing you away. I wasn't sure what you would do," he admits, quietly.

She tilts her head. It makes sense. Even she was afraid of her feelings.

She gives him a reassuring smile. "Well, you didn't chase me away. In fact, I'm content with staying right here."

He smiles widely, moving his arm to rest securely around her shoulders. "I guess I really _can_ call you my girlfriend now." She lets a giggle slip out at that. He kisses the top of her head affectionately, and she rests her head against his chest. "So, what do you say? Want to go grab our pictures and go home?"

She smiles, softly, putting her chin on his chest so that she can look up at him. "Yeah. That sounds great."

He pulls her out of the booth with him, holding her hand even as he picks up the pictures. A huge grin breaks out on his face when he sees the fifth picture on the second strip.

Ally's eyes widen, and she leans in closer to get a better look. "Oh my God, do you think anyone saw?" She breathes, sounding mortified. He just laughs at her, kissing the side of her head.

"Does it matter?" He asks, amusement laced through his voice.

She stops freaking out and bites her lip to keep from smiling, glancing up at him with sparkling eyes. "No. No, it doesn't." His grin widens even though you wouldn't think that it could get any bigger.

He puts his arm around her (his now _real_ girlfriend) and starts for the parking lot so that they can drive home.

Best. Idea. Ever.

* * *

Austin and Ally are cuddled up on the couch with a quart of ice cream in between them. They're watching an old movie Austin dug out of his closet, and for some reason, Austin insisted on sharing a spoon. Unfortunately, he's using it way more than her because he rarely relinquishes his control of it.

"Austin..."

"Ally..."

She eyes him flatly, and his hands fly up in surrender. "Fine! Fine, here." He finally gives her the spoon, and she pecks him on the cheek as a thank-you. Then she greedily shoves a heaping spoonful into her mouth. He raises an eyebrow at her, to which she shrugs.

He rolls his eyes at the brunette in exasperation.

After the movie finishes, they get ready for bed since it's been such a long day (or days). He's already in his sweatpants and faded blue shirt when she comes out in her white tank top and grey cotton shorts.

"You know, I realized something," he says, thoughtfully, from his position on one of the couch's arms. She arches a curious eyebrow, crossing the room to sit on the coffee table.

"What'd you realize?"

He smirks, mischievously, and she immediately becomes nervous because that's never a good sign. "You never sang for me."

Her brows furrow in confusion as she tries to recall when she told him she would sing for him. When had she... Oh. _Oh._ She had told him she would yesterday before she ran off with those drumsticks on a random impulse.

She blushes bright red and hides her face in her hands. "Do I... Do I have to?" She sighs, not daring to look up at her smirking... boyfriend. Oh, God. She hasn't used that word since... She can't even remember. Probably a _long_ time ago.

"Yes, Ally, you do. You said you would," he points out, triumphantly. "You have that songbook of yours, so you can't say that you don't have a song to sing."

She lifts her face from her hands and casts him a grudging look. "Okay, fine. Hang on," she grumbles, crossly.

He grins widely, fist-pumping in triumph. She rolls her eyes, getting up and walking over to her dresser. She grabs her book and a pencil, opening to her unfinished song from yesterday. She has everything down except for the lyrics.

She glances back at Austin, who flashes her a bright smile and a thumbs-up. She smiles back before turning back to her book.

Her mind starts to wander to these past few days. They've been filled with fun and excitement thanks to her blonde roommate. He got her to tell him things she never thought she would tell anyone, and he got her out of her house, which hasn't felt like home in a long time. She trusts him like no other person she knows.

And suddenly, she's writing.

She's finished with the song in record time and quickly grabs her guitar, making sure it's tuned.

"Got a song?" He asks, amused, as she scrambles to hurry up and get everything ready. Turning to him, she nods once before resuming her preparations.

She sits down on the bed and pats the spot next to her. He rolls his eyes in amusement before walking over and sitting next to her. She props her book open on her lap, smoothing down the pages. She doesn't really need her book, though, because even if she did only write the song a few minutes ago, she knows the lyrics by heart since they describe how she feels.

"I just wrote it, but this one's for you," she tells him, nervously. "I hope you like it."

He smiles at her encouragingly. "I'm sure I will." She smiles a bit, his words giving her enough courage to start strumming.

_"Merrily we fall out of line, out of line_

_I'd fall anywhere with you _

_I'm by your side_

_Swinging in the rain, humming melodies_

_We're not going anywhere until we freeze_

_I'm not afraid anymore_

_I'm not afraid_

_Forever is a long time_

_But I wouldn't mind spending it by your side_

_Carefully we'll place for our destiny_

_You came and you took this heart _

_And set it free_

_Every word you write or sing is so warm to me, _

_So warm to me_

_I'm torn, I'm torn_

_To be right where you are_

_I'm not afraid anymore_

_I'm not afraid_

_Forever is a long time_

_But I wouldn't mind spending it by your side_

_Tell me every day I get to wake up to that smile_

_I wouldn't mind it at all_

_I wouldn't mind it at all_

_You so know me_

_Pinch me gently_

_I can hardly breathe _

_Forever is a long, long time _

_But I wouldn't mind spending it by your side _

_Tell me every day I get to wake up to that smile _

_I wouldn't mind it at all_

_I wouldn't mind it at all." _

Once she's finished singing, she lowers her guitar and raises her head to meet his gaze. Her eyes quickly flick over his shocked face, and she sighs. "So, it was that bad, huh?" She mumbles in an embarrassed voice as her cheeks suddenly heat up. "Sor-"

"Are you kidding?" He interrupts abruptly, eyes wide. "That was awesome!"

Her eyes widen and dart up to his, searching for the truth. "Really? You mean that?" She asks in disbelief.

He grins, proudly. "Of course! I loved it!" And, though he won't admit it, he loves it because she wrote it for him.

She smiles, putting her guitar down on the floor and her songbook on her nearby dresser. As soon as her hands are free, Austin reaches across the bed and tugs her onto his lap. She giggles, burying her nose into his shoulder. He kisses the side of her head, wrapping his arms around her.

He lies down, bringing her with him. She snuggles into his side, and he rests his chin on top of her head.

"I'm going to promise you something," he whispers into her hair.

"What's that?" She mumbles against his chest.

He pulls back to look into her caramel brown doe eyes. She stares into his own eyes, curiously. "I'm going to promise you that I will try my best not to ever hurt you. Considering my background, I can't promise you that I will never hurt you, but I will promise to try. I know what you've been through, and you deserve the world after all that. And I will try to give you the life you've always dreamed of because, Ally, you deserve it. I promise to try-"

With her eyes pooling with tears (because she's always dreamed of someone saying this to her), she shushes him softly. He stops talking, frowning at her, but she just laughs, quietly, moving closer to him so that they're practically nose-to-nose. "Just shut up and kiss me," she whispers, her minty breath dancing across his face.

He's more than happy to comply.

When they pull away, she tucks her head under his chin.

"Promise?" She mumbles against his neck, referring to his earlier promises.

"Promise."

* * *

**And that's a wrap.**

**That last song was "I Wouldn't Mind" by He Is We. I love that song.**

******It was so fun typing this story (even though I didn't like some parts of it), and I was thinking of making a sequel. What do you guys think?**

**Thank you to every single person who read/reviewed/favorited or followed this story. You guys are the awesome ones here. **

**Thanks again for all your support, and I guess I'll see you guys later.**

**~Hunter**


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